Guide Dog Leads Brick Resident From Fire

A Brick woman's guide dog led her out of what could have been a very dangerous situation on Friday.

Authorities say a visually-impaired woman, Dana Vass, was led out of her residence at the Waterside Gardens apartment complex by her guide dog after a fire broke out in her apartment.

At about 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, the Breton Woods and Pioneer Hose fire companies responded to an apartment fire in Building 4 of the Waterside Gardens Apartment Complex on Schindler Drive, Fire Marshall Kevin Batzel said.

Vass, 42, was home by herself and cooking pizza in the oven when it accidentally caught fire, said Batzel.

"She was notified by the smoke alarm which activated in the residence, and her guide dog Boomer started barking," he said.

Boomer, a 2 year-old Beagle and Labrador mix, led Vass out the front door of the apartment to safety. Vass and the responding fire authorities credited both Boomer for his specialized training in the situation, as well as Vass' having a properly-working smoke detector in the apartment for the happy ending.

“The damage was contained to the oven and there was a smoke condition in the apartment, but the occupant was allowed to return after the residence had been properly ventilated by the fire department,” Batzel said.

Batzel said having working smoke detectors in one's home year-round is of key importance and a potentially life-saving safety measure.