CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WBBH) – From the outside, the damage to the garage is clearly visible, but inside you can see numerous holes in the ceiling that firefighters cut to vent smoke.

A 12-year-old girl was home alone and rescued her four dogs after the house filled with smoke.

“I’m thankful my grandchildren made it and the dogs are alive,” said the girl’s grandmother, Connie Callahan.

Callahan said her 12-year-old granddaughter and the family’s four dogs were inside the house when the house began to fill with smoke.

She said one of the dogs was the reason the young girl was still alive.

“She said she smelled smoke and the dog, who we call ‘Big Mama,’ started pouncing on her and the ceiling was already starting to collapse,” Callahan said.

It happened in the morning as the girl was getting ready for school. Her mother watched from work as her daughter got ready for school. She was able to speak to the girl through a connected camera and lead her out of the smoke-filled house.

“My daughter had to be persuaded via camera from work to leave the house because it was pitch black inside,” Callahan said.

Tar is scattered throughout the house and even hours after the fire, the smell of smoke is so strong that it is difficult to stay in the house for any length of time.

The neighbor who shares the duplex said he could smell smoke coming from his house.

“The fire department also asked us to evacuate because there was so much smoke inside,” said Casey Bernard.

The girl is being treated at Golisano Hospital and is expected to recover.

Unfortunately, the family lost everything in the house due to smoke and water damage.

The family assumes that the fire was caused by an electrical defect.

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