A house fire that resulted in $50,000 worth of damages was started by the family dog, said firefighters.

A woman who was frying fish was reported to have gone to take out the garbage, when the dog shut the door behind her. The fish was still frying in the pan, and eventually resulted in shooting flames and heavy smoke.

The home's residents attempted to put out the fire, which started in the kitchen, but the flames had started to spread, explained Capt. Greg Degand of the Topeka Fire Department.

"By the time the fire trucks got here, flames were coming out of the south side of the attic," International Fire Fighting News quoted 27-year old Jamie Kidwell, who lived near the house and witnessed the events that transpired. "The flames started catching a tree on fire."

It took 15 minutes for firefighters to get the fire under control.

Andre Perrault, the house owner, said that his wife had called him, saying that she got locked out of the house, and the stove was on with fish frying in a pan. When Perrault got to the house with his spare key, they found the kitchen ablaze.

The couple, who were foster parents, lived in the house with 13-year old Bryon Johnson and 17-year old Kaleo Galton, who said that he had belongings in the house, but did not even consider going back to retrieve them.

"I don't really care about that," he said. "I was making sure everyone was safe."

The AP reported that Perrault was glad that everyone was safe, including the dog and a pet bird.

"That's what you've got homeowner's insurance for," said Perrault.