Take steps to protect your pets from fires

California is famous for more than its Hollywood roots and sun-drenched beaches. It's famous for its fires. Monstrous, majestic, devastating — California wildfires are often unfathomable feats of nature, at times triggered by inglorious acts of man.

But then there are the accidents waiting to happen, as was the case with the "Pack Rat" house fire in Riverside, Calif.

Riverside firefighters were first called to the home just after 6 p.m. on Oct. 6. They found the kitchen engulfed in flames, along with a back-porch area that had been turned into a kennel. Fourteen Lhasa apsos died, presumably of smoke inhalation.

Later that night, fire crews were called back to the home as the flames rekindled. The remains of 11 more dogs were discovered after the second fire.

Firefighters told KTLA they had "access problems in every room due to the 'extreme clutter' inside the house." Riverside Fire Capt. Scott Wilson said, "All but the living room is full, ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall, with collected items." The kennel conditions matched those of the house, with dogs stacked in cages, one on top of the next.

The jaw-dropping circumstances that led to this fire and its many casualties indicate a lack of mental health on the part of the owner. But kennel fires happen even with the most stable at the helm.

On Oct. 18, in Excelsior Springs, Kan., firefighters and a kennel owner snatched 16 dogs from a dire fate as flames engulfed the boarding facility and a neighboring business. In the words of kennel owner Barbara Baldridge, "If we would have been any later, there probably would not have been any dogs left."

Fires, of course, can ignite anywhere. On Oct. 21, a 2-year-old Labrador named Duke was rescued by firefighters when his normally quiet home went up in flames in Lubbock, Texas. The family had been grilling the night before, and a wayward ember is thought to be the cause of the uproar.

In each of these fires, the dogs involved were home alone, with no way out.

If you have a dog and must leave him home alone from time to time, take the time to fire-proof your home to the extent it's possible:

Test smoke detectors monthly.

Maintain your clothes dryer, keeping the lint trap clean, as well as the areas below and behind the dryer.

Fully extinguish cigarettes.

Unplug coffeemakers and irons.