Family needing help after dog starts house fire by turning stove on

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A Colorado Springs family is asking for help after their dog started a fire in their kitchen.

According to Kim Smith, her daughter’s home caught fire on June 26 after the family dog helped ignite a fire by turning the stove on.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department says first responders were called to a house fire in the southeast neighborhood near Highway 24 at about 4:45 a.m.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames once at the scene, but the family said their upstairs area has been unlivable since the blaze.

Fire officials said the fire seemed to have started from cardboard that was on the stove.

The family shared a video from one of their security cameras in the house, appearing to show their dog jumping up toward the stove and turning on one of the burners.

The video went on to show the burner appearing to heat up before catching a nearby cardboard box on fire.

Family members said insurance is helping with the repairs, but they are displaced from their home and have started a GoFundMe for assistance.

“My daughter’s home caught on fire last night and they lost quite a bit. Her whole upstairs is now unlivable,” Smith shared. “They need help with finances due to being out of their home, also her dogs and other animals are displaced.”

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