Dog Saves Deaf Boy From Fire

VIDEO - A 2-year-old pit bull named Ace is being called a hero after waking his Deaf owner, a 13-year-old boy, during a devastating house fire. The teen's cochlear implants were turned off, so the dog licked his face to wake him up.



INDIANAPOLIS, IN - A 2-year-old male pit bull named Ace was being hailed as a hero Wednesday, after waking his Deaf teenage owner during a devastating house fire.



At 1:11 p.m., Indianapolis firefighters were called to fight a fire at a home on the city's south side, officials said. Upon their arrival, flames were shooting from the garage.



Officials said Nick Lamb, 13, who is Deaf, was sleeping in the house at the time. Ace was able to alert Nick and awaken him by licking his face. "He was thankful that Ace entered his room and licked his face until he woke up," Indianapolis Fire Department Capt. Rita Reith said in a news release. "The boy quickly covered his nose and mouth with his T-shirt and exited the rear of the house."

Lamb said he was taught at school about covering his face and finding the nearest exit. Without his shoes but with Ace by his side, he darted out of the back door before calling his mother and 911. "I couldn't hear anything because I had my cochlear implants off. ... My dog Ace smelled it," Lamb said. "I just wanted to get out."



The fire-blackened home had $175,000 in damage. But Ace and Lamb made it out safely. No one else was home when the fire started.



Lindsay Bernard, Lamb's mother, says she rushed home from work after getting the call. Her mind was racing throughout the trip. "I went into a little bit of a panic," she said. "When I got here ... the streets were covered. It was mainly just panic and chaos." ... Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/17/pit-bull-saves-deaf-boy-house-fire/12771773/