A house fire in Belcamp, Maryland, was accidentally ignited when a dog jumped onto a kitchen counter and turned on a toaster, authorities reported. The blaze occurred Friday evening 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. However, three of the family's pets, including two cats and a third dog, perished in the fire. Neighbors successfully rescued two other dogs from the burning home.
The fire originated in the kitchen and spread to other parts of the house. Officials determined that the dog which activated the toaster was one of the two rescued by neighbors. The incident was captured on a Ring home security camera, which showed the dog pawing at items on the counter before inadvertently turning on the appliance. This footage aided deputy state fire marshals in pinpointing the fire's origin.
Deputy state fire marshals officially ruled the cause of the fire as accidental. The house sustained extensive damage from fire, smoke, soot, and water. The estimated cost of the structural damage is approximately $150,000, with an additional $50,000 in damage to the home's contents, bringing the total estimated damage to $200,000.
A bearded dragon, another pet belonging to the family, was later found alive and survived after 24 hours of critical care.