Dog Sparks Fire While ‘Playing With Matches’

Officially, the cause of fire at Matthew Gould’s home is listed as “dog playing with matches.”

Gould, 22, was awakened by a smoke alarm Wednesday and saw flames in a bedroom. He said he called firefighters, doused the blaze and discovered that Sadie, his 5-month-old German shepherd mix, had gnawed into a cardboard box containing matches.

“This is a first,” said fire Capt. Mark Maker. “The cause of the fire officially is a dog playing with matches. Somehow she chewed . . . just right and didn’t slobber enough.”