Firefighters Save Christmas Tree, Gifts From Lakeville House Fire

LAKEVILLE (CBS) -- A Lakeville family is staying with relatives this Christmas after a fire forced them out of their home Sunday. The fire department said a vigilant neighbor spotted flames while the residents, a couple with seven and nine-year-old boys, were out.

That neighbor, Roger Holmes, was able to coax the family dog outside the house to safety, police wrote on Facebook.

"Roger's the hero. Roger deserves all the credit in the world," neighbor Edward Marshall said.

Firefighters responded to the Alden Road home just before 4 p.m. and found the fire in the back corner of the house.

The Cruz family said they went to a party Sunday afternoon and were only gone for 20 minutes when their gas grill exploded.

"A gas grill was involved in fire, including the propane cylinder; the propane-fed fire spread into the home," said the department. Flames then went into the walls and attic space.

"The attic space contained blown-in insulation; this material makes detecting all hidden fires very difficult. After a few flare-ups of fire, crews were forced to remove all the insulation from the house. The labor-intensive operation took more than 2 ½ hours to complete, with the last crew clearing the scene just after 6:30 p.m."

Firefighters said the house was damaged by fire and smoke, but crews were able to save the Christmas tree and gifts underneath it. A pet lizard also survived.

Berkeley, Freetown, Raynham, and Middleborough fire departments also responded.