Dog Alerts Family but Dies in Apartment Building Fire

A barking dog alerted his family to a fire in their apartment Saturday only to be consumed by the blaze that also damaged three other units, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority said.

“The dog started barking and alerted the residents that there was a fire,” Fire Authority spokeswoman Tabby Cato said. The man who lived there “had five kids in that apartment and got them all out.”

The family’s cat was also killed in the blaze.

The fire was reported at 5:20 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 2900 block of West Baywood Avenue, Cato said. Two apartment units were badly damaged and two others suffered heat, smoke and water damage, she said.

Thirty-two firefighters contained the blaze within 25 minutes. The fire, which Cato said “appears to be accidental,” caused $100,000 damage to the four units. The displaced families were provided temporary shelter by the owner of the apartment building, Cato said.