Hero dog saves his family's lives during house fire in Maryland

FREDERICK, Md. (WJLA) — A family's dog is being hailed a hero after saving them from an almost-certain disaster.

Officials in Maryland said a fire broke out at a home early Monday morning. First responders in Frederick County said the family's dog began barking, waking up everyone who was sleeping inside the house.

Frederick County Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Rusty Hahn told WJLA that crews responded to a working fire just before 4 a.m. When crews arrived, they found the house in flames.

Hahn said about 50 to 60 firefighters were on the scene and it took them about half an hour to knock down the fire and one hour to get the fire under control.

Hahn said a Cairn Terrier named Bear kept barking until his owners woke up and noticed the fire. The two occupants and the dog all safely escaped the flames and called 911.

The fire was quickly extinguished but the home was completely destroyed, fire officials said. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Officials on the scene were working to determine the cause of the fire as of Monday morning.