By Ryan Mills
The Naples Daily News (Florida)
NAPLES, Fla. — As a fire raged in the kitchen Saturday afternoon, Jake struggled to free himself from the smoke-filled bathroom.
He scratched, he clawed, but there was no use. Jake, a large golden retriever, was trapped.
Luckily for Jake, neighbors knew he was inside the home, and notified responding firefighters.
The fire erupted around 4:24 p.m. inside 331 Lambton Lane in the Berkshire Lakes community, said East Naples fire spokesman Greg Speers. The homeowners, Joe and Carolyn Gray, were vacationing in New York at the time, and Jake’s dog-sitter was gone as well.
“The fire had originated in the kitchen,” Speers said. “We’re not sure what caused the fire. It was not the typical food left on the stove deal.”
East Naples firefighter Osniel Perez and Lt. Efrain Padilla entered the home looking for Jake. They found him hiding in the bathroom, Speers said.
Somehow the door locked behind him.
“He had smoke all over him,” Speers said of Jake. “His fur was covered in gray smoke.”
Perez and Padilla brought Jake outside where other responders administered oxygen through a mask.
“A vet who was a neighbor came over and checked the dog and suggested he go to an area pet hospital,” Speers said. “They kept the dog overnight for observation. He’s OK today.”
Firefighter extinguished the fire in about 15 minutes, Speers said.
The house sustained considerable flame and heat damage in the kitchen, and there is smoke damage throughout the house, Speers said. There was no structural damage, but the fire did burn a hole in the ceiling.
Speers said Golden Gate firefighters, EMS, and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the fire.
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