A Muncie, Ind., family has a pet parrot named Peanut to thank for acting as its personal protector.
Shannon Conwell, 33, and his 9-year-old son fell asleep on the couch Oct. 19 while watching a late-night movie. The father was startled about 3 a.m. by the sound of a smoke alarm, which instead was the family’s shrieking parrot mocking the actual alarm, according to The Star Press.
“He was really screaming his head off,” Conwell told the newspaper.
And for good reason; the house was indeed on fire.
“I grabbed my son and my bird and got out of the house,” Conwell said.
The Muncie Fire Department has released information stating the fire started in the back of the house, destroying the dining room, kitchen and bedroom, according to the newspaper.
Fortunately, the father and son fell asleep on the couch. Had they been in their bedrooms, Conwell says they probably wouldn’t have heard the alarm or the bird.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
