Dog home alone turns on stove sparking apartment fire in Kansas, firefighters say

A pet dog is the culprit behind an apartment fire in Kansas, firefighters say

Topeka fire crews responded to a blaze on SW. 5th Street around 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 21, according to a department release. Smoke was billowing out of the two-story wood frame building as they arrived.

Firefighters “began an offensive fire attack” and extinguished the flames before they were able to spread to any neighboring units, the release said.

There were no people inside the apartment, but there were two dogs, “one of which was semi-conscious” and given oxygen at the scene, according to the fire department.

After investigating, officials concluded that one of the dogs is probably to blame for the fire.

“Preliminary investigation indicates the fire cause to be accidental, more likely than not associated with a dog turning a stove burner on,” the release said.

The owner told fire officials that their dog has “done this in the past trying to get food,” a fire department spokesperson told McClatchy News.

“It is unknown how the dog actually turned the burner on,” they added.

This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Dog home alone turns on stove sparking apartment fire in Kansas, firefighters say."