BARRIE, ONT. -- An Angus man is lucky to be alive after smashing through his home's front window to escape a fire.
Essa Township's Fire Chief says flames were shooting out of the Margaret Street home when crews arrived at about 5:15 a.m. Saturday.
The home didn't have work smoking detectors: something that could have bought the man valuable time.
"The sound or smell of the fire...woke him up, alerted him to the immediate danger," Chief Cynthia Ross Tustin said.
"We would like to remind people to have working smoke alarms in their homes because this man had a very, very close call."
The man was taken to hospital with cuts from breaking through glass and some minor burns.
Ross Tustin said the man's dog died in the fire and that there's a good chance the house will need to be levelled.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is looking into the cause of the fire that started in the kitchen. Ross Tustin said there were early indications it may have been the result of cooking left unattended.
