Dog turns on stove, starts house fire

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Fire investigators say a dog inadvertently turned on a stove and started a fire that destroyed a house in Vancouver, Wash., early Saturday.

Capt. David James told the Columbian newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/xanMJ2 ) that investigators believe the dog jumped up looking for food on the stove and turned the stove on, causing items on the stove to catch fire.

Firefighters arrived just before 1 a.m. to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the one-story home. James says the blaze damaged most of the house and its contents. The dog did not survive.

James says the renter had left the dog alone in the house for the first time.