Hot dog! On a day Christopher Smith desperately needed some good news, he received it Thursday.
The 37-year-old’s house at 214 Esser St. in Sunnyland was destroyed by a fire that was reported about 1:35 p.m.
With the house, Smith believed he also had lost an Australian shepherd named Blue.
Blue, about 4 months old, was feared dead inside a home Northern Tazewell Fire Chief Ray Kiddy said was believed to be a total loss.
But about an hour after the fire began, the dog darted out of the one-bedroom, single-story house with major smoke and fire damage.
“There was a dog in there, and he just ran out of there about five minutes ago, which is amazing,” Kiddy said well after the fire was knocked down.
“I was pretty surprised. As much smoke and fire as there was in there, it’s amazing he was able to survive.”
The occupant’s father and owner of the home, Ed Smith, who lives directly behind the house on Loren Street, said the house has been in the family since the 1950s.
The Smiths rescued two cats from the home before being too overcome by smoke to find the dog.
Presumed dead, Blue’s appearance outside caused a fuss.
While being held by Christopher Smith’s girlfriend, Cindy Baker, Blue was petted by firefighters.
“He came out and he was wiggling,” Ed Smith said. “He looked happy. For the boy’s sake, I hope he makes it. He’s had a really bad day.”
A trip to the veterinarian showed the dog’s lungs had suffered some damage from smoke inhalation, but Blue was expected to survive, Ed Smith said. As a precaution, Blue was headed to the Tri-County Animal Emergency Clinic. He was given a clean bill of health and released.
It was unknown how Blue survived thick smoke and flames.
“Smoke was all over the house,” Ed Smith said. “You couldn’t go in. The dog must have hid under something.”
Northern Tazewell, East Peoria and Morton firefighters were called to the fire. They arrived to find the front of the house on fire.
Kiddy said the fire is believed to have started in the fireplace and spread to the structure of the single-level home, where Christopher Smith was home by himself.
Ed Smith said his son built a fire in the fireplace, which hasn’t been used for more than a decade, and it apparently spread to a nearby closet.
Ryan Ori can be reached at [email protected].
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