Hungry Dog Accidentally Starts Stove Fire While Owners Were Sleeping

A golden retriever's midnight dash for a snack ended up igniting a fire. The owners caught it just in time.

A pooch going for a late night snack while her owners were sleeping ended up turning on the stove and starting a fire. Ashley O’Donnell and her husband left a plate of cookies near the stove before they went to bed.

Once the lights were out, their dog Molly made her move, hitting a knob on the stove and accidentally igniting a fire.

“The spatula from the cookies was nearby. She must have hit it and it went on to the eye of the stove, and that's ultimately what caught on fire,” Ashley said.

Minutes later, smoke detectors went off, waking up the couple just in time. They were able to put out the fire themselves. Their stove was cracked, but the only casualty was the spatula.

It’s not the first dogs turned into accidental arsonists. Pets actually cause up to 1,000 fires each year.

Ashley has since taken the knobs off the stove to prevent a repeat of the incident. As for Molly, she got her snack.

“She did eat the cookies. She got the cookies, so she was happy,” Ashley said. She says the fire is a great reminder to have working smoke detectors everywhere in your house.

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