Family credits barking dog for alerting them to fire that destroyed Southern California home

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A family of seven who was sleeping when a fire consumed their Southern California home says they escaped unscathed thanks to their barking dog.

Vera Mendez says Foxy, her 2-year-old mixed breed dog, began barking “like crazy” shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Mendez’s son woke up, and he rushed to wake up the rest of the family as flames tore through three rooms of the home in Santa Ana.

Mendez tells City News Service that three generations of the family — six adults and a 9-year-old boy — got out of the burning house safely because of Foxy.

Nearly 50 firefighters knocked down the fire in about a half-hour but were not able to save the house. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles