MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin couple says clucks,
not fire trucks, helped them escape a blaze at their home.
Dennis
Murawska, 59, said a pet chicken named Cluck Cluck woke his wife
Susan Cotey, 52, with loud clucking from its cage in the basement
two floors below about 6:15 a.m. Thursday. The couple’s two cats
also were running around the main floor.
Murawska said he had been half awake but didn’t know about the fire
because the smoke alarms hadn’t gone off. He realized something was
wrong when his wife got up.
‘‘The chicken gets quite vocal when she gets excited,’’ he
said.
Cluck Cluck came from a nearby farm in Alma Center, about 135 miles
east of Minneapolis, Murawska said. When the chicken began
wandering over to his house, his neighbor said he could kill it
because it wasn’t producing any eggs.
But Murawska felt sorry for Cluck Cluck because she had a mutated
foot and decided to keep her. He fed the bird and built a coop, and
then his wife let Cluck Cluck into the basement on cold
nights.
‘‘I spent way more money than I ever should’ve,’’ Murawska said by
telephone. ‘‘I guess it paid off.’’
The couple escaped, and firefighters found the chicken in its cage
and one of the cats alive in the basement. Another cat hasn’t been
found and is presumed dead, Murawska said. The couple and their
surviving cat checked into a Black River Falls hotel, while Cluck
Cluck is staying with the neighbor who used to own
her.
Alma Center Fire Chief Jeff Gaede said the fire started in the
attic of the attached garage and was not suspicious. The house was
a total loss, but it could have been worse — if not for the
chicken.
‘‘We are used to hearing about a dog or cat or something, but we
never heard of a chicken waking up a resident for a fire,’’ Gaede
said. ‘‘That’s pretty amazing.’’
