DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A small dog was rescued from a fire that ignited a home in Daytona Beach Friday afternoon.
Daytona Beach fire officials said the fire ignited in the kitchen of a house on the 800 block of North Street, just a few blocks north of Bethune-Cookman University.
The fire started when homeowner Annie Reeves turned on the stove to cook some shrimp, forgot about it and left to go to the bank with her grandson. Officials said when she came back about 15 minutes later, the fire was out of control and 9-1-1 was called.
"Smoke was coming from the front door, room was covered, the whole house was covered," Reeves said.
Officials found the family dog, named Christian, behind the couch when they went in for a second search to make sure there were no other occupants in the house. The homeowner had tried to go back in three times trying to find the dog but the smoke was too much.
"We tried to call him before the fire department got here but he wouldn't come," Reeves said. "We were calling 'Come here Christian, Come here Christian' and he wouldn't come out."
The dog was given oxygen by fire personnel and appears to be OK.
"When they brought the dog out he had a hard time breathing and they gave him oxygen so he quickly came around," said firefighter David Newell.
The damage is estimated at $10,000. No injuries were reported on scene. The owner will be staying with family and friends.
"I consider myself lucky," Reeves said.
The cause of the fire is accidental, officials said.