Firefighters rescue dog from blaze

By Alexandra Fenwick
Staff Writer
Published February 15 2008

NORWALK - A two-alarm fire gave neighbors a scare yesterday as firefighters worked to find and rescue the homeowners' dog.

Cooper, a black Labrador retriever, was home alone when a fire broke out in the ground floor bedroom of the 1945 two-story Cape-style house at 38 Betts-wood Road.

The fire's cause was under investigation, Fire Marshal Glenn Iannaccone said. The blaze triggered a home alarm that alerted the fire department at about 11 a.m.

It took about 20 minutes to knock down the fire because it took some time to find Cooper, who ran upstairs and hid under a bed, Deputy Chief Stephen Shay said.

Neighbor Norma Andersen called Cooper's owners, who were on their way home, to let them know their dog was safe.

"They're good neighbors to me, I try to be a good neighbor to them," Andersen said.

The fire caused heavy damage to the first floor and smoke damage to the second floor, Shay said.

"I would say they're very lucky because they have that alarm system," Assistant Chief Lawrence Reilly said. "If they hadn't had the alarm, it would have taken a few more minutes for the neighbors to see the smoke, and it would have been more advanced."

Neighbor Jan Fiore was baking a pineapple upside-down cake for Valentine's Day dessert when she heard her neighbors' alarm.

As fire trucks arrived, she stepped outside and Cooper made a beeline for her house across the street.

"I guess he's staying awhile," Fiore said.