ARLINGTON, Wash. — A fire on a Smokey Point property was quickly contained early Friday morning after a neighbor's dog alerted her owners, who then called 911.
Just after 3 a.m., North County Fire/EMS and Arlington police officers were sent to the 17900 block of 31st Drive NE for a structure fire. Firefighters found a detached shop next to a home on fire.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames before they spread. Most of the damage occurred to the exterior of the shop.
First responders learned that the neighbor's dog, Lucy, had barked, alerting her owners to the fire.
KING 5 caught up with Lucy's owner, Douglas O'Connor II. He said it was the middle of the night when the barking began.
"Normally, I just yell at her to go to sleep, you know?" said O'Connor. "We were both in bed sleepin' because it was 3 o'clock in the morning."
But he said this was a type of bark that he'd never heard before from Lucy.
"Loud, screaming-type bark. It was totally different than her just barking at a usual, usual bark. It was totally- woke us both up. Something's wrong. Wow. She was trying to tell us something.'"
Lucy is a 3-year-old Australian Shepherd-Labrador mix.
"She was in the bay window just continuing barking," said O'Connor.
Authorities said she was among the first to notice a fire at the home across the street. She promptly alerted the neighborhood, including her owners.
"It woke my wife up and myself, and she noticed through the bedroom drapes that there was some activity going on and bright colors and she opened the curtains and said honey, there's a fire," said O'Connor. "The flames went out of control, and then it was just a blaze and the whole side of the building was on fire."
Lucy's owners called for help and firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames.
"I'm just glad that nobody was hurt," said O'Connor.
The fire only impacted the homeowner's workshop, thankfully, and not their home where they were sleeping.
"Firefighters said another 10 minutes that could have reached the house. So that was a little scary," said O'Connor.
Officers praised Lucy's quick actions on social media, writing, "Thanks to Lucy's quick thinking, everyone involved was unharmed, and the fire was successfully contained."
It's clear Lucy was a big hit with the first responders.
"I think the fire department and the police officers just fell in love with her," he told us.
O'Connor couldn't be more proud of Lucy.
"This is a good dog. She's really one of a kind. I love her to death," said O'Connor.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Crews respond to house fire in Smokey Point
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