Lucky The Dog Helps Save Elderly Man From Deerfield House Fire

DEERFIELD, IL — A dog named Lucky is being credited with alerting an elderly Deerfield man to a fire in his home Tuesday morning. Lucky came down early for breakfast and the homeowner, prompting the homeowner to realize his home was filling with smoke, fire officials told the Deerfield Review. The man and the dog survived, but the house was deemed uninhabitable, police said.

Deerfield police and firefighters responded around 6 a.m. to a 911 call of a fire in the house in the 1700 block of Central Avenue. Police said the house was completely filled with smoke upon their arrival, and the first officers on the scene were initially unable to locate the caller.

The man and his dog were found safe in the backyard as it also filled with smoke, according to police. The elderly homeowner told police he was unable to go any farther, and the two Deerfield officers helped him and Lucky to a safe location.

Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Protection District officials told the Deerfield Review the damage, which will leave the four-bedroom home uninhabitable for months, could have been much worse if Lucky had not notified the homeowner and if an upstairs door was had not been kept shut to stem the damage.

"Our thoughts are with the homeowners as damages and the losses that occur from a fire are an extremely emotional event," the district said in social media post Wednesday. "Working smoke alarms in your sleeping areas and on every level of your home are essential to early notification of a fire."

Police said several other local agencies helped extinguish the fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. The fire protection district is working to help arrange temporary housing for Lucky and the homeowner.

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