A hungry family pet is the apparent cause of a house fire that resulted in extensive damage to a home on Kress Road, off M-36 in Hamburg Township.

The township fire department was called to the home in the 10,000 block of Kress Saturday morning at 9am and firefighters upon their arrival observed smoke coming from the roofline and the front door. According to Hamburg Fire Chief Nick Miller, the family had left for a day trip to Frankenmuth, and had recently installed a home security system connected electronically to their cell phones. When the family was driving in the Fenton area, a quick look at their in-home security cameras to check on the dog revealed the fire, and 911 was notified. The township police and fire departments arrived at the scene, assisted by the Putnam and Green Oak Township fire departments.

Miller says the fire resulted when the dog got on its hind legs in an attempt to snatch some food left on the stove. In the process, the dog accidentally turned a gas burner to the “on” position, igniting some nearby combustible materials. A neighbor was able to get the dog and a cat out of the house safely. The kitchen was destroyed by the fire and the rest of the one-story, wood frame house sustained heat and smoke damage. Miller says the house, while not destroyed, is currently unlivable and the family has had to find a temporary place to stay. The dog? It’s rumored he’s now "in the dog house”. That said, Chief Miller is asking residents to please make sure they don’t leave any type of combustible materials on their stove. He says kitchen blazes are the leading cause of residential fire loss. Facebook photos. (TT)