MILWAUKEE (AP) - A Wisconsin couple says clucks, not fire trucks, helped them escape a blaze at their home.
Dennis Murawska, 59, said a pet chicken named Cluck
Cluck woke his wife Susan Cotey, 52, with loud clucking from its cage
in the basement two floors below about 6:15 a.m. Thursday. The couple's
two cats also were running around the main floor.
Murawska said he had been half awake but didn't
know about the fire because the smoke alarms hadn't gone off. He
realized something was wrong when his wife got up.
"The chicken gets quite vocal when she gets excited," he said.
Cluck Cluck came from a nearby farm in Alma Center,
about 135 miles east of Minneapolis, Murawska said. When the chicken
began wandering over to his house, his neighbor said he could kill it
because it wasn't producing any eggs. But Murawska felt sorry for Cluck
Cluck because she had a mutated foot and decided to keep her. He fed the
bird and built a coop, and then his wife let Cluck Cluck into the
basement on cold nights.
"I spent way more money than I ever should've," Murawska said by telephone. "I guess it paid off."
The couple escaped, and firefighters found the
chicken in its cage and one of the cats alive in the basement. Another
cat hasn't been found and is presumed dead, Murawska said. The couple
and their surviving cat checked into a Black River Falls hotel, while
Cluck Cluck is staying with the neighbor who used to own her.
Alma Center Fire Chief Jeff Gaede said the fire
started in the attic of the attached garage and was not suspicious. The
house was a total loss, but it could have been worse - if not for the
chicken.
"We are used to hearing about a dog or cat or
something, but we never heard of a chicken waking up a resident for a
fire," Gaede said. "That's pretty amazing."
Thursday, May 23 2013 11:03 PM EDT2013-05-24 03:03:13 GMT
A Perrysburg Township packaging plant is closing this summer, affecting 126 employees at the location. We're told an agreement allowing Diamond Crystal Brands to sell Splenda sweetener will expire at
A Perrysburg Township packaging plant is closing this summer, affecting 126 employees at the location.
Friday, May 24 2013 8:53 AM EDT2013-05-24 12:53:50 GMT
High pressure will move in overnight tonight which will keep the clouds away and allow the winds to go calm. This will lead to unseasonably cold air Saturday morning. Lows are expected to be in the upper
A late season frost is expected Memorial Day weekend for parts of Ohio.
Thursday, May 23 2013 11:34 PM EDT2013-05-24 03:34:48 GMT
13abc and the Red Cross are teaming up for our Road to Recovery Phone Bank to provide information about helping the victims of the Oklahoma tornado and other disasters. Volunteers will be at the station
13abc and Red Cross teamed up for our Road to Recovery Phone Bank Thursday to provide information about helping the victims of the Oklahoma tornado and other disasters.
Thursday, May 23 2013 11:10 PM EDT2013-05-24 03:10:04 GMT
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - The Washington State Patrol says the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon has collapsed, dumping vehicles and people into the water. Trooper Mark Francis
The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.
Thursday, May 23 2013 9:57 PM EDT2013-05-24 01:57:54 GMT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A proposed constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana and certain uses of hemp has cleared Ohio's ballot board. The panel's approval Thursday sends the issue into its
A proposed constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana and certain uses of hemp has cleared Ohio's ballot board.
Thursday, May 23 2013 8:40 PM EDT2013-05-24 00:40:05 GMT
PHOENIX (AP) - The jury in Jodi Arias' trial was dismissed Thursday after failing to reach a unanimous decision on whether the woman they convicted of murdering her one-time boyfriend should be sentenced
The jury in Jodi Arias' trial was dismissed Thursday after failing to reach a unanimous decision on whether the woman they convicted of murdering her one-time boyfriend should be sentenced to life or death in a case that has captured headlines worldwide with its sex, lies, violence.
Thursday, May 23 2013 8:38 PM EDT2013-05-24 00:38:38 GMT
(ABC News) -- The Boy Scouts of America today voted to lift its longtime national ban on admitting openly gay Scouts but will continue to exclude openly gay adults from leadership roles. The vote
The Boy Scouts of America today voted to lift its longtime national ban on admitting openly gay Scouts but will continue to exclude openly gay adults from leadership roles.
Thursday, May 23 2013 8:02 PM EDT2013-05-24 00:02:06 GMT
The 27-year-old woman who was on the ground staring into the barrel of a shotgun says Toledo police officers saved her life. Valarie Williams tells 13 ABC's Christine Long that it is nothing short of
The 27-year-old woman who was on the ground staring into the barrel of a shotgun says Toledo police officers saved her life. As a man stood over her pointing a shotgun to her face, Valerie Williams says, "It was like an angel came because the cops pulled up."
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