Dawson City man rescued from house fire by passerby

Dawson City firefighters are praising an early morning walker for life-saving actions at a house fire Tuesday morning.

The homeowner had gone to work, but her son was left asleep in the home.

Fire chief Jim Regimbal says the passerby responded after he heard smoke alarms blaring from the 7th Avenue home.

"Kudos to Yukon Housing for having smoke alarms, that's the first line of defence," he said.

"It worked. The individual then knocked on windows and actually broke one of the windows and the son was able to escape out the window, so he actually saved a life." 

Regimbal says a cat and dog were also saved from the blaze.

The fire department was called at 6:30 a.m. and Regimbal says the home was completely engulfed by the time fire crews arrived. Volunteers from the Klondike Valley fire station in Rock Creek also assisted. 

The home was completely destroyed.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause.