Man dies after going into burning house to save dog

ORLAND, Maine – Investigators say a Maine man died when he returned to a burning house to get his dog.

Maine Public Safety Department spokesman Steve McCausland says the man escaped with his family before going back inside Monday evening in the town of Orland. Firefighters recovered the body of 40-year-old Sam Crawford hours later, after the fire was extinguished.

Two other adults and two children escaped the fire uninjured.

Investigators say the fire was caused by a space heater in the garage. They say Crawford moved a skidder, a vehicle used in logging, to safety before telling others he was going back to look for his dog.

The home was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. Firefighters had to use tanker trucks to haul water to the rural site.