Dog rescued from burning house

EXITING STRUCTURE – Three Humboldt firemen, (from left) Lucas Reasons, Alex Trudo and Austyn Rogier exit the blue house that caught fire after the blaze was extinguished and under control. Unfortunately, the house suffered major damage and is a total loss.

by DANNY WADE | Senior Editor

dwade@hchronicle.net

Firefighters are trained to save lives. That training came in handy last Wednesday when a house caught fire. Luckily, no people were in the house at the time, but a dog was trapped inside.

When the Humboldt Fire Department arrived on the scene at 4:39 p.m., a blue house on Mitchell St., near the corner of Central Ave. had smoke bellowing from the back. They quickly learned that there might be a dog trapped inside.

Humboldt Fire Chief Greg Lencioni said Capt. Jonathan Tibbs, Capt. Alex Trudo and firefighter Jonathan Strow went into the burning structure to find the dog.

Trudo said they could not find the dog and thought it had gotten out on its own. That is when he heard the dog whimpering. In thick smoke, he followed the sound and found the dog cowering behind the bathroom door. Trudo quickly picked up the dog and handed it to Strow, who exited the house.

Paramedics had arrived on the scene and treated the dog. It was taken to local veterinarian, Dr. Christy Hicks at Gibson County Animal Clinic. According to HFD, the dog was sitting up on its own by the time it arrived at the clinic and is doing okay.

Chief Lencioni believes the house is a total loss. He said the whole back of the house was on fire in the attic. Firefighters worked the scene for over two hours.

The chief said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) was called in with the possibility of suspected arson. Thursday, TBI investigators were on the scene and determined the fire was an accident, probably caused by a cigarette, according to Chief Lencioni.

“The crew did a great job on initial knockdown (of the fire),” stated Chief Lencioni. “When they found out a dog was still inside, captains Tibbs and Trudo, along with firefighter Strow, searched for and located her within minutes. I am proud of this department and every member of it.”

HOUSE FIRE – Humboldt firefighters battled a fire at this house on Mitchell St. last Wednesday afternoon for over two hours. No one was inside the house at that time, but a dog was rescued and brought to safety outside.