Dog wakes up Rhode Island owner during fire

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Officials say a dog may have saved its owner's life by waking him up during an early morning fire in East Providence, R.I.

Firefighters tell WPRI-TV (http://bit.ly/1cQ9mZ5 ) that the 50-year-old man may not have survived if his dog, Liberty, hadn't started licking his face as his mattress burned. Authorities say there were no working smoke alarms in the home.

Officials say the man was sleeping when his laptop computer apparently overheated and started a fire at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters say the man suffered minor burns.

The man's name hasn't been released.

The dog wasn't hurt.

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Information from: WPRI-TV, http://www.wpri.com