‘She saved my life’: Dog alerts man to Warwick house fire

A Warwick man said his roommate’s dog saved his life, after the German shepherd mix woke him up as a home caught fire early Friday morning.

The blaze broke out at around 4:00 a.m. on Abbott Avenue.

As smoke quickly filled the home, Oscar McClaren said the homeowner’s dog, Noka, woke him up.

"I woke to the dog pushing and shoving. Basically alerting me that something wasn’t right," McClaren said. "I’m lucky to be alive."

McClaren said he was the only one home at the time, as the family who owns the home was out of town. He said he jumped out of bed and ran to the back of the house where he saw the flames quickly spread.

"It gets very frantic. Things go very quick and I had to do the best I could in the time I had," he said.

While trying to escape the home in bare feet, McClaren was hurt. He was treated for minor scrapes and bruises.

The dog Noka, McClaren and one cat made it out OK, but another cat did not survive.

McClaren said if it wasn’t for the dog, he probably wouldn’t be alive.

"Thanks to Noka. She’s a champ. I tell you she deserves a lot," McClaren said. "She saved my life."

McClaren also credits his working smoke detectors with waking him up.

Noka is with family out of state until her owners get back.

The home is not livable. No cause has been released.