Isabella Rosario
Ames Tribune
BOONE, Iowa — Boone firefighter Shane Lovig and his wife were out Christmas shopping the night of Dec. 9 when they saw the back of an Ankeny house engulfed in flames.
They drove to the front of the home, expecting to see sirens. But when neighbors told them first responders had not yet arrived, Lovig sprang into action.
“My first thought was just making sure everybody was out of the house,” Lovig said.
As smoke filled the house, Lovig forced open the front door. He and a couple of neighbors checked the first and second floor to make sure nobody was home, shutting doors to minimize the spread of the fire.
“That’s when I found the dog, which wasn’t real excited to find me,” he laughed.
Lovig was able to hand off the dog to its grateful owner.
The Ankeny Fire Department was dispatched at approximately 9:25 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the city. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 20 minutes. The fire was likely caused by improper disposal of smoking materials on the back deck, an investigation by the cause and origin team found.
The city reminded residents to dispose of smoking materials in fire-safe containers.
“Even with a slight breeze, embers can remain hot for several hours, increasing the potential for a tragedy to occur,” the post said.
Lovig said he “wouldn’t recommend everybody running into a house on fire.”
“Calling 911 right out of the gate is the biggest thing. It takes the fire department time to get there,” Lovig said. “The quicker they get called, the quicker something can actually get done.”
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