A fire started by a dog at a family’s home in Colorado Springs was stopped thanks to the HomePod smart speakers from Apple.
The blaze began at 4:43 a.m. on June 26, and was caused by a dog inadvertently turning on a stove. The family had boxes on the stovetop, and when the dog got up on his hind legs to investigate, it accidentally turned on one of the burners, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department.
The fire could have been much worse, but the family was alerted to it thanks to the HomePod. The family received a “high heat” alert that woke them up, and they were able to extinguish the fire, call 911 and get out of the house before it spread.
It’s unclear if the HomePod’s alert was directly from the HomePod or if it was sent to the family’s other Apple devices based on the HomePod hearing a smoke alarm going off. The HomePod and HomePod Mini have a feature that listens for the sound of a smoke or CO2 alarm and sends an alert to other Apple devices.
The HomePod’s alert almost certainly saved the family’s lives. In a video shared on Facebook by the Colorado Springs Fire Department, you can see the fire spreading and smoke quickly filling up the house.
The homeowners — one of whom was treated for smoke inhalation — and the dog are all OK, while the home sustained serious damage.