Home-alone dog blamed for house fire in Tucson

An unattended dog who supposedly started an unattended stove is being blamed for an apartment fire in Tucson.

Fire Capt. Barrett Baker told KVOA  that the dog ignited a burner with his paw while trying to jump up on the kitchen counter.

Investigators said there were flammable materials on top of the stove, which the family said they rarely used.

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The apartment was badly damaged, and the family of three who lived there is temporarily homeless. But the dog made it out safely, along with the 23 firefighters from the nine units who responded to the fire and rescued him.

There's no word on what breed the dog is. But he's not the first dog to be pegged as a firestarter.

Just last October in Washington, a black Labrador was blamed for starting a fire with his paw while reaching for a bag of dog food that had been left on the stove top.

In that case, firefighters gave the dog mouth-to-snout resuscitation after rescuing him.

AP contributed to this report.

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