Heartbroken Maryland homeowner praises camera alert after dog turned on toaster, caused fire
A Harford County family is reeling after their beloved rescue dog likely started a fire on July 10 that killed three of their other pets and left their home uninhabitable.
The homeowner on Foxglove Court in Belcamp credits his home camera system for alerting him to the blaze and likely saving several of their other animals.
No people were injured.
How the house fire started
On Friday, July 10, just before 5:30 p.m., a Ring camera video showed the Ellis family's dog, Bo, rummaging around on the kitchen counter looking for food.
Within minutes, the fire alarm goes off, and you can see flames.
Homeowner Chad Ellis told WJZ he left the house about 15 minutes before he got the camera alert and rushed back.
"It was an absolute freak accident. I guess the lesson we're going to learn the hard way is to unplug appliances that aren't being used," Ellis said. "I saw the fire literally next to the refrigerator, saw the knucklehead Bo jumping on the counter, then I came back as fast as I could. By the time I got here, there were two trucks from the fire department here."
He thinks the dog was trying to get to bread inside a nearby bread box on the counter.
Ellis said, "He's a counter surfer—always has been—but you don't think about stuff like that."
He said watching what happened "was unbelievable. I couldn't believe it."
Home destroyed, beloved pets killed
Ellis allowed WJZ cameras inside the now-unrecognizable kitchen. The air was stagnant with the smell of smoke and soot covering every surface.
"We love our dog. Bo did not do anything he hadn't done normally," Ellis said. "He started the fire. It was with a toaster. It was a freak accident."
Bo and their black shepherd Addie survived thanks to a neighbor who was able to get them out.
Their bearded dragon Yoda also survived after 24 hours in critical care.
"When I got up here, my neighbor had just let my other two dogs out, and they ran out," Ellis said. "I tried to go in the back door to go up the stairs to get the other animals, and I couldn't get in the house. It was too smoky."
Their dog Dakota did not make it.
"Dakota was our heartbeat. She was amazing. She was only three years old," Ellis told WJZ.
The family's two Maine Coon mixed cats, Beth and Kayce, also died.
Ellis said, "They fit right in—best cats I've ever had—loving, playful, cuddly, and just beautiful."
Praise for the camera
Ellis credited the Ring camera for the quick response.
"It saved my two dogs. It really did. It's worth its money in gold. We wouldn't have any dogs at all right now, and this would be burned to the ground if it hadn't been for Ring because I would've been another 45 minutes at least," he said. "[My neighbor] wouldn't have been here to let the dogs out. Who knows when a neighbor would've seen it? It would've taken the fire department another 20 minutes to get here, and all this damage was done in about 20 minutes. My dogs were gone in 20 minutes."
The family does have an online fundraiser that has raised more than $13,000 as of Tuesday.
They thanked their community for the support along with the Aspen family veterinarian.
"The whole neighborhood has been amazing. The neighbors have given us tons of stuff, offered us houses, places to stay, anything we need really," Ellis said.
