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Hero rabbit saves owners from house fire

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:03am EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A pet rabbit is being credited for saving its owners from a house fire in southeastern Alaska before it died of smoke inhalation, fire officials said on Friday.

The rabbit woke up the homeowner early on Tuesday morning by scratching on her chest, the Ketchikan Fire Department said in a statement.

The homeowner realized that the house was full of smoke, woke up her daughter and fled the house.

The fire was brought under control fairly quickly, with four engines, a ladder truck and 33 firefighters responding.

Damage to the house from flames, smoke and water was considered moderate.

While there were no injuries to the mother or daughter, the rabbit was not so lucky. The animal succumbed to smoke inhalation and did not survive, the fire department said.

(Reporting by Yereth Rosen. Editing by Dan Whitcomb)
Oddly Enough
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Comments (5)
karojen wrote:
What, did the insensitive woman leave the rabbit in the house? Nice.

Sep 19, 2011 12:28pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
Laimelde wrote:
@karojen What makes you think she left it behind? A rabbit’s lungs are many times smaller than ours and would be more quickly damaged. The house was already full of smoke when the woman woke, so likely the damage had already been done.

Sep 19, 2011 4:33pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
tobeornottobe wrote:
How’s THAT for a fine “How do you do”?… The rabbit saves your life and you forget the rabbit inside. Disgraceful!

Sep 19, 2011 4:43pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
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