MORSE, La. — An Acadia Parish family is crediting their dog for alerting them of a house fire. It happened overnight in Morse. Three people were inside, along with two of their dogs.
The people inside were fast asleep when one of their dogs, whose name is Olaf, started barking.
That woke one of them up as flames broke out here around one in the morning.
"He just saved our lives," Anna-Claire Trahan said. "She was sleeping inside of the home when the fire broke out. "We were all passed out cold. It would've been too late if we wouldn't have heard him barking."
He's a tiny dog, but his bark was loud enough to alert his family of danger.
Their aunt noticed the barking and she immediately alerted the others. With no time to spare, they managed to escape.
"Not even a minute after being right here, from the window you could see the fire go through my room," Mason Gauthreaux said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. While the family is coping with the loss of their home, the community has started a fundraiser.
"It's very heartwarming and meaningful to know the town and everybody in this town cares about you and really has your back," Trahan said.
If you'd like to make a donation call 337-458-2238 for more information.
Mayor of The Village of Morse Ray Richard says the fire happened on S Leblanc Road which is outside of town.
Fire District 5 responded to the fire at about 1:00 am on February 17 and were able to put out the flames.
The Fire District says that the home is a total loss.
A cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Firefighters from Acadia Parish Fire District 8 and the Gueydan Fire Department assisted at the scene.
