Barking dog alerts family in burning house [The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.]

Dec. 28--HAVERHILL -- An alert dog and two off-duty firefighters probably saved a family of five from serious injury or even death from an early morning fire on Bard Street yesterday.

The dog awakened members of the Janes family by barking frantically, according to neighbors. The two firefighters, Rodney Nutter of the Haverhill department and the other from Andover, made sure everybody got out of the burning house safely, according to fire Deputy Chief Brian Moriarty.

The two-alarm blaze reported at 4:03 a.m. destroyed the single-family house at 6 Bard St.

"Nobody got hurt," Moriarty said.

Evelyn Janes and her children quickly got out of the Colonial-style house without incident, neighbors said.

William Janes, who owns the house along with Evelyn, was working at the time of the fire. He is employed as a corrections officer, according to the city directory.

The Janeses have three children.

"I can't talk about it," Evelyn Janes, who was making a call to an insurance adjustor yesterday afternoon, said to a reporter when asked about the fire yesterday.

She did say there were no injuries from the fire, which is under investigation by the Fire Department.

Moriarty said the fire does not appear to be suspicious. Deputy Chief William Laliberty is directing the investigation, Moriarty said.

The blaze appeared to have started outside the house, worked its way up an exterior wall and entered the attic, where it caused heavy damage to the roof, he said.

The American Red Cross said it has provided financial assistance to William and Evelyn Janes and their three children for food and clothing as well as temporary lodging at a hotel. A case worker will help the family find housing while their home is being rebuilt if they need it, according to a Red Cross spokesman.

Colleen Ferrarini, who lives next door to the Janeses with her husband Thomas, said the dog awakened the family. Ferrarini said she found out about the fire from a newspaper deliveryman, who was pounding on their front door, telling them to get out. The fire singed the siding on one side of the Ferrarinis' house, but they are still able to live there, they said.

"This is nothing compared to what happened to their house," Thomas Ferrarini said.SClBMoriarty said firefighters worked to restrict the fire to the attic, but the rest of the house sustained significant water damage.

"It's a total loss," he said. "It's over $100,000 in damage."

While the house is a total loss, Moriarty said, "The majority of the belongings are intact" and can be recovered and reused after being washed and cleaned.

"The guys (firefighters) did a really good job," he said. "They conducted an aggressive attack and kept it from spreading. I'm glad nobody was hurt."

When the first crews arrived, they encountered heavy fire, Moriarty said. Engines 1, 2, 3 and 4, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 responded. Lawrence and West Newbury firefighters covered Haverhill's station while firefighters worked at the scene.

The house was built in 1996 and is located in a neighborhood near the edge of the Ward Hill Business Park. It has six rooms and three bedrooms and is assessed at $262,700, according to the city.

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