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PETER JENSEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
As Blaine resident Cathy Koentges learned Monday night, Feb. 22, the biggest heroes can come in the smallest size.
A fire started in Koentges' living room after she went to bed at 9 p.m. Her 7-year-old dachshund, Mr. Wiener, was at the foot of her bed and apparently awoke when black smoke began billowing into the room.
The dog began barking frantically, which woke up Koentges and allowed her to get out through a sliding door that led outside the home, which is in the 8000 block of Harbor Drive.
"That dog saved my life," said Koentges, who adopted the dachshund from the Whatcom Humane Society. "I sat up and the room was full of smoke - it's like breathing water. Thank God, I would never have made it out if it wasn't for the dog and the exit."
Mr. Wiener made it out of the fire and has been near Koentges' side since. Six cats she cared for also survived and have been staying in a garage, which wasn't damaged in the fire, she said.
Koentges has been staying in a motel with the assistance of the Mount Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Investigators suspect faulty wiring in the living room's wall caused the fire.
Koentges said she had a smoke detector near her bedroom, but the batteries ran out about two weeks ago and she hadn't gotten around to replacing them.
The fire destroyed many of her belongings and heavily damaged some rooms in the home, which she said she's rented for the last six years.
She plans to stay in a friend's spare bedroom until she can find permanent housing.
"The living room's burnt to the studs," Koentges said. "My vacuum cleaner is a puddle of plastic."
The Red Cross' assistance through the ordeal has helped, Koentges said.
"They have been fantastic," Koentges said. "I can't say enough about those guys."
Koentges' son, Aaron, is a medic with the U.S. Army stationed in Iraq but was back in El Paso, Texas, on leave when the fire occurred, she said.
He's extending his leave to fly here with his wife and help Koentges move her remaining belongings to storage, as well as help her through the ordeal, she said.
Koentges' daughter, Tarsy, is a graduate student at the University of Denver and also plans to come here to help out.
"I have a wonderful family that's here for me," Koentges said. "I'm 63. I can't possibly move furniture by myself. Disaster is exhausting. It is a lot of work getting everything in order."
And Mr. Wiener?
"He is really subdued," Koentges said. "Physically he's OK. I think it was a major shock to him. He'll be better once we have a place of our own. The dog did his job."
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