Dog credited with waking fire victim

October 12, 2008 12:26 pm

— Three more fires Friday night and early Saturday morning brought the total number of major structure blazes in Jones County this week to six. And it is National Fire Prevention Week, with a theme of “Prevent Home Fires.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Jones County Public Information Officer Lance Chancellor.
Several Jones County volunteer fire departments were on the scene of a trailer fire Friday night that destroyed a double-wide on Ira G. Odom Road, south of Ellisville off Highway 29. “The family was devastated,” said Chancellor. “They couldn’t believe they lost everything.”
Agencies initially responding to the blaze were volunteer fire departments from Johnson, Ovett, Union and Moselle. Second-alarm responders were Glade and Powers volunteer firefighters.
Another family lost most of their belongings in a blaze that engulfed their mobile home last Sunday night on Crocker Road near Ovett and a mobile home fire last Monday morning on Rufus Morgan Road. A fire Friday afternoon in Laurel damaged a home on Fifth Avenue. Fortunately there were no injuries in any of the blazes.
Saturday morning’s fire in Soso was a near fatality.
“She is very lucky to get out alive,” said Chancellor.
The homeowner, Jackie Moore, the mother of Soso Mayor Mike Moore, barely escaped with her life when fire broke out in her single wide trailer at 37 Franklin St. just before 6 a.m. Her black lab/pit bull, “Girl,” is credited with waking her and saving her life.
“This dog is a hero,” said Jones County Fire Coordinator Dan McKenna. “The dog woke her up and led her out of the burning trailer.”
Family members said the dog jumped on Mrs. Moore’s bed, woke her up and led her to safety. Mrs. Moore told fire investigators the trailer was full of black smoke, and she could only see a red glow in the living room near a ceiling fan. The dog was a stray given to her by a granddaughter.
Mrs. Moore was treated at the scene by EmServe Ambulance Service paramedics for smoke inhalation.
“Apparently the dog woke her up,” said Soso Fire Chief Glen Musgrove. “She was able to escape with no serious injuries.” To indicate how close a call it was, a silhouette of her body as she laid on the bed sleeping was surrounded by soot.
“We’re extremely grateful it wasn’t any worse than it could have been,” said Musgrove, who added this was the first structure fire in Soso in quite a while.
Seven trucks from three different units responded to the fire, which is undetermined in nature, along with the Soso Police Department and EmServ Ambulance Service. They had the blaze under control in about 45 minutes.
Another mobile home fire occurred about one mile away Saturday around noon, near the B-P station on Highway 28. The fire was reported at 12:11 p.m., but details were unknown. The residents were not injured.
McKenna said Saturday afternoon the State Fire Marshal’s office will investigate next week, although none of the fires are believed to have been of suspicious origins.

Reporter Steve Sanders contributed to this report.

Photos

A bird bath fountain sits in front of a mobile home that was destroyed around noon Saturday in Soso. It was the second mobile home fire in Soso in six hours.

A granddaughter of Jackie Moore and a friend are pictured with Mrs. Moore’s dog, “Girl,” credited with saving her owner’s life in the blaze that happened around 6 a.m. Saturday in Soso, which had not had a structure fire in quite a while, according to Chief Glen Musgrove. There were seven structure fires in the county during National Fire Prevention Week.

Jackie Moore’s granddaughter looks through family photos which were salvaged following a Saturday morning fire.