Tipping the scales at more than 100 pounds, Allie, an 8-year-old black labrador retriever, is a daunting animal. Despite the canine’s stature, it was no match last week for a devastating house fire that swept through her family’s home next to Big Fish Lake.
Firefighters responded to the fire at about 2 p.m., Jan. 8, in the 5000 block of Silver Birch Road.
Hadley Township Fire Chief Kurt Nash said when firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was billowing from the windows.
‘The fire was in the center of the home,? said Nash. ‘It was not fully engulfed due to some very tight construction. Flames did not break through the outside walls of the home.?
In addition to the Hadley Township Fire Department, firefighters from Brandon also responded to the blaze. Nash said snow-covered roads, coupled with significant hills, slowed response time.
‘It’s just hard to get back there,? he said. ‘I estimate Brandon and Hadley had the fire under control in about 10 minutes’we used about 700 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze.?
Long-time neighbor Todd Williams lives two houses away from the home. At about 1:30 p.m. he was walking out to his car when the garbageman yelled over to him that the neighbor’s house was on fire.
‘We could hear the dog barking in the house,? said Williams, a Big Fish Lake area resident for the past 25 years. ‘The garbageman and I ran around to the back of the house and broke open a window to get the dog out.? Williams placed a lawn chair just inside the window to give the large dog a step-up so she could be lifted out of the house.
‘We could not get the dog to climb on the chair,? he said.
The dog was carried from the home after firefighters got the fire under control. First responders used a special cannie mask to help the dog breathe. The animal was taken to Ulmanis Veterinary Clinic in Metamora where she was kept overnight for treatment.
‘Two families from Metamora just donated the canine mask to the fire department,? said Nash. ‘The dog was pretty beat down by the time firefighters could it out of the house. It made all the difference in the world’that mask saved that dog’s life.?
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
‘She’s a family member,? said Sheila Regan. ‘It would have been a huge loss’thank God for all who saved her.?