Rockdale County firefighters put out a house fire that destroyed most of the kitchen in a single-family home and also rescued the family's dog from the burning building.

On Saturday, Rockdale County Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire at 3869 Pointers Way of a single-story ranch-style home.  

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke showing from the roof line and made forcible entry to the home where they were immediately met with heavy fire in the kitchen.  

The family in residence were not at home at the time but later told investigators that their son had been cooking on the stove and forgot to turn it off before leaving.

The fire had already burned through the ceiling and started to burn in the attic. While one crew was inside extinguishing the fire, another crew started their primary search of the house looking for any victims that may have been inside.  

While conducting their search, Firefighter Scott Young from Ladder One, located the family’s dog hiding in a nearby bedroom. 

The dog, a Pekingese, was brought outside. It was alive and seemed to be doing well once outside, according to Rockdale County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Michael Morris.

The fire was contained to the kitchen area. However, smoke had filled parts of the house and it would have been difficult for the dog to stay in much longer, said Morris.

He explained the primary search that was conducted is a technique that is used throughout the fire service to look for victims in structures.

The Red Cross was called in to assist the family, which consisted of the husband, wife and son. No one was injured during the fire.