SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. - A newly adopted dog's noisy barking alerted a sleeping family that their home was on fire, allowing them to escape the blaze with only minor injuries.
John Cramer, 54, and his wife, Cheryl, 44, were in their second-floor bedroom when he heard the dog howling around 6:30 a.m Sunday, authorities said.
When he went downstairs to comfort Toby, a Norwegian elkhound who had been with the family for just two weeks, he saw flames creeping up the walls from the basement.
As the smoke thickened inside the home, Cramer opened the crate to free Toby and then ran upstairs to rouse his wife and their 9-year-old daughter, Lee.
The family then quickly escaped along with Toby and Casey, another elkhound who was sleeping upstairs, but they could not save their three cats, who died in the blaze.
Investigators believe the fire began in the basement near an electrical outlet, and they were trying to determine if a faulty circuit sparked the flames.
The fire had been burning for about 30 minutes before it was discovered and caused severe damage to the home, authorities said.
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