Dog helps NH family escape house fire unharmed

Lucy, a 5-month-old Yorkshire terrier and a “little spitfire,” woke the family up by barking when the fire began smoking

January 25, 2011 04:16 AM

By Ben Leubsdorf
The Concord Monitor

CANTERBURY, N.H. — An early morning fire caused major damage to an 18th-century Canterbury home yesterday, but the family inside was able to escape unharmed thanks to a heads-up from its barking dog.

Firefighters responded to the two-alarm blaze at 324 Baptist Road about 4 a.m., and the “bulk of the fire” was out two hours later, said Canterbury fire Capt. Don Maurer.

Maurer said extreme cold — 12 degrees below zero — and the many “nooks and crannies” of the old home made it more difficult to fight the fire.

“Things freeze up, and of course the whole area’s icy, but the Department of Transportation was out there. They put sand down for us and helped us,” Maurer said. “We appreciate that.”

Karen and Michael Roundy and their two children, ages 10 and 8, escaped the burning house, along with the family dog. A pet parakeet was rescued by firefighters, Karen Roundy said.

Lucy, a 5-month-old Yorkshire terrier and a “little spitfire,” woke the family up by barking when the fire began smoking, Roundy said. They then left the house and called 911.

The single-family home, once a schoolhouse, was built in the 1790s, with an addition in the 1970s, she said. She described the damage as significant, including places where firefighters had to tear holes in the roof and other areas to get at the flames.

“They think it was electrical,” Roundy said. “We do burn wood, but actually that area of the house is okay.”

The family has insurance and is staying with relatives in Concord for now, Roundy said. The American Red Cross said it provided financial assistance to help with food and clothing.

A family friend, Denise Sojka, has started a relief fund to help the family with expenses, she said. Donations can be made to the Roundy Fire Relief Fund at any Citizens Bank location.

Karen Roundy is a registered nurse, and her husband, Michael, is an artist and adjunct art professor at NHTI and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Emergency responders from Belmont, Boscawen, Chichester, Concord, Loudon and the Penacook Rescue Squad assisted Canterbury personnel at the fire, Maurer said.

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