A London man is being credited for saving the lives of a family after a fire broke out at a Duke St. home.
London firefighters were called to the two-storey duplex at 62 Duke St. on Saturday just before 11am, to find the home engulfed in flames.
District Chief Al Braatz says the family was rescued by their neighbour who saw the fire while mowing his lawn. The family of four was sleeping at the time and were awakened by the neighbour who had rushed to the home in an effort to help.
The neighbour also helped the four residents get out of the home when they were forced to climb out of a first floor window due to the extent of the blaze.
"Basically, he rescued them [by] alerting them and got them out of the house," says Braatz. "He did a fine job. He was instrumental in making sure they were all out and accounted for before we got there."
Braatz says the rear exterior of the home was the area most affected by the blaze, however, the fire managed to spread to every floor of the home, including the basement. He says the home did have working smoke alarms, but they did not immediately activate due to the location of the fire.
No one was injured but a pet dog on the second floor died as a result of the blaze. Fire crews attempted to resuscitate the animal but were unsuccessful.
A damage estimate is unknown at this time, but Braatz says it was very extensive.
A fire investigator has attended the scene to try to determine the cause and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been contacted.