A dog is believed to have accidentally started a house fire in Belcamp, Maryland, that resulted in the deaths of three family pets and an estimated $200,000 in damages. The blaze occurred on Friday afternoon at a single-family home on Foxglove Court.
Fire crews responded to the scene shortly after 5:30 p.m. and were able to bring the fire under control within approximately 20 minutes. The owners were not home at the time of the incident, and no human injuries were reported. Neighbors managed to rescue two dogs from the burning residence.
However, a third dog and two cats succumbed to the fire. A family pet, a bearded dragon, was found alive and received critical care for 24 hours, ultimately surviving. The fire reportedly began in the kitchen and spread to other areas of the house.
According to officials, the dog that is thought to have initiated the fire was one of the two rescued by neighbors. It is believed the animal jumped onto the kitchen counter and activated the toaster, which then ignited nearby combustible materials. A home security camera captured footage of the dog on the counter, which assisted deputy state fire marshals in determining the fire's origin.
Deputy state fire marshals officially classified the cause of the fire as accidental. The home sustained significant damage from the fire, smoke, soot, and water used by firefighters, with structural damages estimated at $150,000 and content damages at $50,000.