At least 15 dogs were rescued from a burning home, and firefighters say that the homeowner made the house fire worse.
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Around noon on Sunday, Elyria Fire Department crews were dispatched to a house fire in the 300 block of Hawthorne Street, CBS affiliate WOIO-19 reported.
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When the first engine company arrived on the scene, they saw heavy smoke coming from the house, but that’s not all.
“They also were reporting that the residents were breaking out the windows,” Assistant Fire Chief Dean Marks said.
Breaking windows creates a backdraft situation that can make the fire much worse for the homeowner and firefighters, WOIO-19 reported.
“The issue with that is most people don’t realize that by breaking the windows, they’re actually not letting the smoke out,” Assistant Chief Marks said. “They’re introducing the air and oxygen, which makes the fire grow in intensity – and makes it worse for everything inside there.”
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Once the responding crews were able to get the fire under control, they entered through a side door to get at least 15 dogs out of the basement, WOIO-19 reported.
“We do have an ambulance service that was on the scene and did give some of the dogs oxygen. I’m not sure how many. I think the guys were surprised when they kept going in and kept finding more dogs,” Assistant Fire Marks said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but investigators believe it started in the kitchen.
The homeowner did receive cuts to her arms from breaking the windows and initially refused medical attention, WOIO-19 reported. However, she was later taken to the hospital.
The Animal Protective League (APL) was called in to shelter the dogs.
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