MARGATE - A fast moving fire displaced a dog sitter and her two small dogs in Margate early Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported, and one of the dogs is being called a hero.
The Margate City Fire Department led by Capt. Brad Eissler of the Second Platoon was dispatched to 10 N. Essex Ave. at 4:33 a.m. Sept. 21 for the report a fire in the porch area of the home.
The female dog sitter, Robin Silver, 62, of Margate, was able to safely exit the residence with two dogs, Sadie and Dunkin.
Silver said she was first alerted by Sadie, a Wheaten terrier, who she thought was barking to go outside. As she looked outside, she noticed it was unusually bright outside and then she heard the fire crackling and the smoke detector sounding, Deputy Chief Patrick Armstrong said.
"Sadie was the hero," Armstrong said.
However, Dunkin, a French bulldog, was difficult to get out of the house, Armstrong said.
Firefighters arrived to quickly extinguish the fire, which was held to one alarm.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
It was the sixth fire reported in Margate over the last two months.
Armstrong reminded residents ahead of National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9-15, the importance of having working smoke detectors.
He said residents should test their smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries twice a year when they change their clocks at the beginning and end of Daylight Saving Time.
Dogs and smoke detectors truly do save lives, he said.
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