Dog saves family from fire by barking until they wake up

A Cairn Terrier named Bear woke up his humans by barking frantically after their deck caught fire.

Firefighters worked to put out the fast-moving blaze.Frederick County Fire and Rescue

One Maryland couple's dog is surely getting a few extra treats after his quick thinking helped them escape an early morning house fire.

According to Sarah Campbell of Frederick County Fire and Rescue, the dog, a Cairn Terrier named Bear, started barking at about 3:45 a.m. on Monday to alert his family of the fire.

"Bear’s barking alerted the wife who woke up and noticed a large glow at the back of the house. Once she opened the curtains, she noticed the back deck of the house was on fire and spreading quickly into the roof," Campbell said in an email to TODAY.

The house fire as firefighters worked to put out the flames.Frederick County Fire and Rescue

The woman woke her sleeping husband, Campbell said, and he called 911. The fire alarms inside the house hadn't gone off, she said, because the smoke hadn't entered the home yet.

The couple and their two dogs got out of the house safely while they waited for emergency responders to come put out the blaze.

"As they were exiting the house, the smoke alarms began to activate and sound properly as smoke from the fire had begun to enter the house," Campbell wrote. "If it were not for Bear, who alerted the occupants to the fire, the outcome could have been much different due to the fast-moving fire."

The couple and their two dogs weren't hurt in the fire.