London Canine companion alerts its owner to a fast-spreading fire Share It was the night his best friend became his hero "I mean, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today," Wayne Pellett told CTV News. As fire spread through his apartment complex , Pellett’s dog, Freedom, did two things he rarely does; he jumped up on the bed and started and started barking loudly. It was around 12:30 am on Wednesday, July 3rd.
Wayne had fallen asleep earlier in the apartment they shared in a building on the southwest corner of Hiawatha and Curtis streets. The aggressive, urgent barks came as smoke and flames began to push into the second floor apartment. "I'll never forget it,” said Pellet.
“Him barking and waking up to that." Pellett said his apartment was directly above where the fire started, "I was facing my dresser and I could see the thick smoke and the flames – the glow from the flames coming from between my floor, and my wall, and my dresser." Around the same time the fire started, there was a reported shooting with 40-year-old Victoria Dill dying soon after in hospital.
St. Thomas police launched a homicide and arson investigation that morning. On Tuesday, police issued an arrest warrant for 20-year-old Keegan Harvey of St.
Thomas. He’s facing two charges: one count of arson with disregard for human life and one count of accessory after the fact to murder. Pellett's apartment suffered extensive damage as the result of a fire in St.
Thomas. ON July 3, 2024. (Gerry Dew.