Homeowner recounts fire, says pit bull saved her

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis woman is thanking her pit bull with treats after she says the dog saved her life. The dog’s owner says the pit bull alerted her on Monday when her house caught fire.

“If it wasn’t for Raja, I probably wouldn’t be here. I probably would have been trapped in the basement with smoke inhalation and I would be dead,” the dog’s owner, Jennifer Green said.

Green says she was in her basement when Raja came downstairs and started whimpering. At first, Green thought nothing of it, but Raja persisted.

“I’m like, OK, something’s not right,” Green said. “He’s trying to tell me something.”

That’s when Green went upstairs and found her back porch on fire. She got out safely, but Raja had run back into the basement. Firefighters rescued the dog and treated him at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Now, he’s OK. Green says he just needs a bath.

“He’s family and he’d do anything for us,” Green said.

Green says the house is probably a total loss. She says her insurance, along with her friends are helping out her family. They’re staying in a hotel, which has Raja a bit flustered. But on the bright side he’s got a big thank you gift on the way.

“He’s going to get a steak at some point, so we’ll get all that taken care of. He got a lot of treats last night, that’s for sure.”

Firefighters say the fire started after Green discarded ashes from a fire pit. IFD is asking people to soak ashes in water before discarding them.