EAGLE -- A former firefighter's Eagle home was badly damaged in a fire Thursday morning.
Eagle Fire Chief Mike Winkle said the homeowner and her son were at work and school when the two-alarm fire broke out in the back side of the home minutes before 8 a.m.
A neighbor called 911 after seeing the smoke. Firefighters from Eagle, Boise and Meridian responded with six engines and two trucks.
"When they arrived on scene, they did have heavy smoke and a small amount of flames showing from the back side of the house," Winkle said.
Winkle said the family's dog bolted out of the house when firefighters opened the door.
"One of the neighbors tried to grab him, and kind of chased him down the street," he said.
But when the neighbor caught up to the panicked Labrador, it bit her in the face, firefighters say. Family members say the woman, an elementary school teacher, will need stitches. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
The dog continued running, ending up in the street where it was hit by a car. Firefighters say the pet survived and was taken to a veterinarian for emergency surgery.
The homeowner, whose mailbox is shaped like a fire engine, previously worked as a firefighter in California. Her house is extensively damaged by the smoke and flames. Firefighters broke out several windows to ventilate the interior.
Winkle says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
