A dog accidentally turned on a toaster inside a home in Maryland, igniting a fire and killing three other pets in the home, according to officials.
Fire crews responded to a house on 4319 Foxglove Court in Belcamp for a single-family dwelling fire shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the Abingdon Fire Company.
The crews were able to control the blaze in about 20 minutes.
The owners were not home at the time of the fire, and no people were harmed, fire officials said, according to Fox 45.
Neighbors rescued two dogs from the home, but a third dog and two cats died in the fire, the outlet reported.
The family’s bearded dragon was later found alive and survived after 24 hours in critical care.
Fire officials said the fire started in the kitchen before spreading to other parts of the home.
It was determined that one of the family’s dogs jumped onto the kitchen counter and accidentally turned on the toaster, igniting nearby combustibles.
The dog that switched on the toaster was one of the two that were rescued by neighbors.
The fire was recorded on a Ring home security camera, which showed the dog jumping on the counter and pawing at items and assisted deputy state fire marshals in determining the fire’s point of origin, Fox 45 reported.
Deputy state fire marshals officially ruled the cause of the fire as accidental, according to the outlet.
The house sustained extensive damage from fire, soot, smoke and water.
Officials estimated that about $150,000 worth of structural damage and $50,000 worth of damage to the contents of the home were caused by the blaze.
