NEW BERLIN – South New Berlin’s Andrew Coles recalled the smell of what he thought was burning brush in the air when he headed for bed at around midnight last Thursday, but was awakened by the family’s dog a few hours later to find his kitchen ceiling on fire.

Andrew and his wife of 22 years, Mary, were getting ready for bed at just before midnight late Wednesday. Stepping outside of the family’s two story house located along Sheff Road to let his five dogs out before turning in, Andrew sniffed a strange smell in the air.

“There was this smell, not very strong, like smoldering brush or something and I thought maybe someone nearby was or had burned something,” said Andrew.

At around 3 a.m. Mary awoke to the persistent and excited licks of a two-year-old Shih-Tzu-Chihuahua mix named Yukon Jack.

“He just kept licking my face and I kept pushing him away,” said Mary.

“What do you want? I asked him and I was tired. I just figured he needed to go outside, so finally I got up to take him out.”

Mary, who wasn’t wearing her glasses, said she saw an eerie glowing light surrounding the light fixture in the kitchen.

“I went to get my glasses and asked my husband, ‘What is that?’” she said.

Andrew went to the kitchen and couldn’t believe what he was looking at, especially since the family had two working smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide detector installed inside the house.