Hayward firefighter Ed Camera with Maddie, a 13-year-old basset hound... (Hayward Fire Department)
Firefighters rescued a dog Sunday night from a house fire apparently started by objects on a lighted kitchen stove, a fire chief said.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire at a single-story home on the 300 block of Lafayette Avenue around 8:15 p.m., said Hayward Fire Capt. Thor Poulsen.
Crews entered the house and were able to contain the fire to the kitchen, extinguishing the flames at about 8:30 p.m., Poulsen said.
Authorities said a couple living in the home was in bed when they smelled smoke and were able to get out safely with two of their three basset hounds. When fire crews arrived, the couple informed them that their third dog, Maddie, a 13-year-old partially blind basset hound, was still inside.
According to Poulsen, fire crews had searched "every bedroom, bathroom, closet, under beds," for the dog, when Hayward firefighter Ed Camera found the dog unharmed "in the very last room checked."
"There's no doubt the dog would have succumbed to smoke inhalation if they didn't find her when they did," he said.
The kitchen was significantly damaged while the rest of the house sustained only smoke damage. No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported.
