45°
Firefighters responded to a fire at 44 Fleetwood Drive at 4:45 a.m. Sunday in single-digit temperatures.
Upon arrival, Deputy Fire Chief Bernie Meehan found a single-family house with flames running up the side.
The five family members along with one of their two small dogs made it out of the house when their smoke detectors sounded.
With the temperature at 8 degrees, the firefighters began to tackle the blaze and search the house for a missing Shih Tzu named Sophie.
Within a few moments of searching, Firefighter Jason Biroscak found Sophie under a couch. He took her to a nearby ambulance, where oxygen was administered and the dog appeared to be recovering well.
Firefighters were also challenged by a car parked in front of the nearest fire hydrant, making for difficult access to a water source.
Firefighters were able to limit the fire damage to the basement and exterior wall.
The rest of the house was heavily damaged by smoke.
There were no injuries in the blaze.
The American Red Cross is assisting the family with temporary housing.
The Danbury Fire Marshals Office is conducting an investigation.
The Danbury Fire Department reminds all residents to ensure their smoke detectors are in working order and not to park in front of fire hydrants.
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