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Jake, a 13-year-old golden-Labrador retriever mix, gave his life to save his owner from a fast-moving house fire.
According to Layton Fire Marshal Dean Hunt, the dog likely saved the woman's life, who was taking a nap alone in her upstairs bedroom Tuesday afternoon when she was woken up by the dog jumping on her bed. Hunt noted that the home did not have any smoke alarms — or at least none that were working when the fire started in a storage room on the opposite end of the house. If it weren't for Jake, the woman likely wouldn't have survived much longer in the smoke-filled room."That dog's definitely a hero," Hunt said. "A few minutes more and she wouldn't have made it."
The woman woke up to see her room filled with black smoke. She climbed out of an upstairs window and tried to lift the dog out, but he was too heavy, Hunt said. The woman then circled around to the back of her house and tried to call Jake out, but by then it was too late. Hunt said the dog's body was discovered in the bedroom. He likely died of smoke inhalation.
The woman was the only person in the house. Her husband and son were both at work when the fire started, Hunt said. They are now staying with family in Ogden.
The cause of the fire, which Hunt estimated caused up to $50,000 in damage, was still under investigation Wednesday.
— Tribune reporter Bob Mims contributed to this story.
Twitter: @KimballBennion