By Erin Rhoda
The Morning Sentinel
SIDNEY, Maine — A husband and wife escaped their burning home early Saturday morning when their puppy woke them — a few hours before they had planned to leave for Florida for several months.
Dusty and Ruthann Cram awoke before 4 a.m. to their 10-month-old English golden retriever barking and their home on West River Road in flames, Ruthann Cram said.
The homeowners survived, but were taken to the hospital for burns and smoke inhalation. The dog, named Molly, died in the fire.
“She barked and woke us up, and we had just enough time to get out the back door by the bedroom, and she didn’t make it out,” said Ruthann Cram, 63.
This is the second time in two days that a dog has alerted homeowners to a fire. A dog awoke Pearl Jones, of 135 Todds Corner Road in St. Albans, early Friday morning, saving her life. The dog perished in that house fire.
Dusty Cram, 68, was scheduled to remain at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Waterville Saturday night. He is being treated for burns on his back and carbon monoxide in his blood, Ruthann Cram said.
Ruthann Cram was treated and released Saturday afternoon. She suffered blister burns on her hands.
When asked to describe what happened, she said, “Mainly that the puppy barked, and my husband got up, and he hollered that the house is on fire and to call 911. I pushed 911 on the phone, and the phone was down, so I went outside barefooted.”
In pajamas, without her glasses and with bare feet, she ran to her neighbors, Tim and M.J. Parks.
She “banged on the door and rang the doorbell. She had no idea if (her husband) was out, if the dog was out,” said M.J. Parks, who was working for Delta Ambulance Services in Waterville that night and responded to the scene. Her husband, Tim, answered the door and called 911 around 4 a.m.
Ruthann Cram said she wanted to “just thank everybody. They’ve been unreal. Couldn’t ask for better neighbors.”
She added, “The puppy was the hero.”
About 35 firefighters from Sidney, Rome, Belgrade, Oakland, Waterville and Smithfield responded and were on scene for about six hours, Sidney Fire Chief Richard Jandreau said.
When rescue workers arrived, there were flames shooting through the roof, Jandreau said. The home, which was a trailer that had been converted into a house, with a daylight basement in the back, was destroyed.
“The house is completely gone,” Ruthann Cram said. It was insured.
Rescue workers saved the garage, and the two vehicles inside, located 15 feet from the house, Jandreau said.
The Crams’ camper was packed and ready for the trip to Florida, Parks said.
“Luckily, they have some things in the camper. They didn’t lose the garage, and they didn’t lose the camper. They’ve got that much,” she said.
But they lost many things, such as their licenses and credit cards. “Everything’s gone down there,” Parks said. “They didn’t get out but with the clothes on their back.”
The Crams will receive food, clothing, seasonal garments and glasses from the American Red Cross, said Doris Mower, disaster coordinator for the agency. For now, they will live with friends.
The Crams had lived on the property since the early 1970s, Ruthann Cram said. They had lived in that house since 1980.
The Parks have lived next-door for about 35 years, M.J. Parks said. “It really hits home when it’s that close,” she said about the fire.
When asked what the next step will be, Ruthann Cram said, “I don’t know. We haven’t had much time to think about what we’re doing. We’re going to put something back there, I guess, at the spot where this one went.”
Although the state fire marshal has not yet determined the cause of the blaze, Jandreau said investigators are examining the Cram’s pellet stove.
It took about a half-hour to knock down most of the flames, Jandreau said. “The rest was mop-up, salvaging.”
The below-freezing temperatures made it more complicated to fight the fire. Workers had to keep the water flowing, or else it could have frozen, Jandreau said. And the town’s highway department had to sand that portion of road because the water was dripping across it and freezing.
The last of the rescue workers left around 10 a.m.
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