Volunteer firefighters within Pearl River County worked two major fires so far this month, one of which involved the family dog saving the couple’s lives.

Pearl River County Fire Marshal Albert Lee said that on Jan. 5, emergency personnel were called to a home located at 94 King Road in Carriere about a house fire at 2:41 a.m.

When emergency personnel from Carriere, McNeill and Southeast volunteer fire departments arrived on scene about five minutes later, they found the occupants of the home had escaped, but the house was fully involved.

Lee said that investigation into the incident determined that when the fire broke out, smoke alarms in the home went off, but it was the family dog that woke the couple sleeping in their bed. When the couple noticed smoke coming from the bedroom door, they used the window to escape. Once outside the home, it was then that they noticed the front of the home was on fire, Lee said.  The children of the home were not there when the fire occurred and no injuries were reported.

Lee said it took the firefighters about three hours to extinguish the flames. An investigation by Lee and the state Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the fire to be accidental, starting in the area of the Christmas tree. Lee said the Christmas tree in the home was real.

As a precaution, Lee advises all county residents to ensure their Christmas trees are properly watered, and taken down in a timely manner after the holidays.

Emergency personnel were sent to another fire on Sunday just before 10 p.m. Lee said the fire occurred at a gun store located at 761 Oak Hill Rd., near Poplarville.

When firefighters from North Central, Northeast, Poplarville and Derby fire departments arrived on scene about 17 minutes later, they could hear ammunition going off and a moderate explosion later occurred. Lee said the moderate explosion was more than likely caused by a propane tank that caught fire.

Investigation into the cause of the fire determined it was due to a grass fire that had reignited and made its way to the building, Lee said.