A four-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel helped stop a fire in a Fairlington townhouse from spreading last week.
Shravani Bobde was awakened around 2 a.m. on Thursday to one of her dogs, Archie, incessantly licking her arm. Smelling smoke, she got up and began searching her bathroom, home office and other rooms for its source.
“I started investigating, trying to figure out where this smoke is coming from. Eventually, I figured out that it was in the attic,” Bobde said.
A slow-burning electrical fire had developed during the night inside Bobde’s HVAC unit, an electrician later told her.
Bobde switched off the circuit breaker and opened her windows to let the smoke out, preventing her smoke detector from sounding. She believes the dog’s alert actions stopped the fire from spreading in the house or to adjacent townhouses.
“I’m just reflecting that if [Archie] hadn’t woken me up and I had not turned the breaker off, the fire would have escalated. Like, it would have spread slowly,” she said.
Thanks to Archie and Bobde’s quick actions, the fire was contained to the HVAC unit, which is now being replaced. Bobde ended up going back to bed — and her other Cavalier King Charles Spaniel slept through the whole thing.
Bobde is thankful for Archie’s “fierce guard dog” spirit, which she said is uncommon for the breed. Though weighing just 21 pounds, Archie has the personality of a defender, she said.
“I would love for Archie to be recognized for the hero he was last night, [saving] me, his brother, Percy, and our neighbors,” Bobde said. “He’s a unique creature, we love him.”
The federal government recommends regular product maintenance and routine inspections as ways to prevent air conditioning-related fires.
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