'Hero' dog which saved his owner's life when fire broke out dies

Tragedy as ‘hero’ dog which saved his owner’s life by waking him up when fire broke out at home sparked by overheating e-scooter dies

• Kevin Record was asleep when Shogun woke him up and alerted him to the blaze
• 43-year-old saw sparks coming from e-scooter  and, within seconds, it exploded
• Kevin was heartbroken when he discovered his five year old pup died in the fire

A ‘hero’ dog has died while saving his owner’s life as a fire broke out in their home when his e-scooter overheated.

Kevin Record was asleep when his XL American bully, Shogun, woke him up and alerted him to the blaze.

The 43-year-old saw sparks coming from his e-scooter before it exploded in his flat in Sheerness, Kent.

Panicked and disoriented, Kevin managed to escape the fire and smoke-filled room. However, he sustained ‘life-changing’ burns to the right side of his body.

Kevin Record (left) was asleep when his XL American bully, called Shogun (right), woke him up and alerted him to the blaze by jumping over him

Kevin was heartbroken when he discovered his five year old pup died in the blaze 

The 43-year-old saw sparks coming from his e-scooter as he woke and, within seconds, it exploded, with flames rapidly spreading throughout the flat

Kevin was heartbroken when he discovered his five year old pup died in the blaze.

He said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated by what’s happened, especially losing Shogun. He was everything to me and died saving my life. I can’t explain the speed of the fire. I had never seen anything like it.

‘Within seconds, it was like a fireball that spread to everything in sight. It was like a grenade going off, just terrifying.’

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) fire investigators believe a fault occurred while his e-scooter was on charge, causing the battery pack to overheat and catch alight.

Kevin is currently in intensive care at the Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex, with 20 per cent of his body is covered in burns.

Kevin is currently in intensive care at the Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex, with 20 per cent of his body is covered in burns

Kevin, a charity shop volunteer, only moved into his flat in Sheerness, Kent, a couple of months ago. Four fire crews battled the blaze in the early hours of Monday April 17

Despite their best efforts the damage was irreversible and all of Kevin’s belongings were destroyed

His 39-year-old sister, Gemma Servante, explained that without Shogun her brother wouldn’t be here today.

Gemma, of Minster, Kent, said: ‘His burns are all over his body but the worst are on his hand and feet. He has lost all the skin on his hands and feet. He is lucky to be alive but his whole world was gone in seconds. That little doggy saved his life. Shogun jumped over him – that is what woke him up and alerted him to the fire.

‘When Kev woke up at first he was a little disorientated. He ran to the window. One of them didn’t open, so he tried the second one.

‘When that opened he inhaled fresh air because he’d been breathing in the smoke. But when he turned around what was a little fire just 10 seconds before had quickly engulfed the whole flat.’

Blinded by the smoke in the flat, Kevin couldn’t find his beloved dog.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Kevin said he routinely checked his e-scooter was in good working order, as he was aware of the fire risk with lithium-ion battery powered devices

Kevin had had Shogun since he was six weeks old. He was five when he died

Kevin had had Shogun since he was six weeks old. He was five when he died. 

Gemma added: ‘He couldn’t see the dog any more. Kev was feeling around for Shogun because he couldn’t see and was screaming his name but he couldn’t find him. Kev had to run through the flames to get out of his front door.

‘He was just in his boxers and he had to run through the fire to get out, that is why the worst of his burns are on the soles of his feet – he has no skin left on one of them. Seconds after he got out, the windows blew. He didn’t have time to stop and get his phone or shoes or anything.

‘He is so lucky that he got out. If Shogun hadn’t woken him up, if Kev had been asleep for just another 10 seconds it would have been very different. This dog was a hero.’

Kevin, a charity shop volunteer, only moved into his flat in Sheerness a couple of months ago. 

Four fire crews battled the blaze in the early hours of Monday April 17. Despite their best efforts the damage was irreversible and all of Kevin’s belongings were destroyed.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Kevin said he routinely checked his e-scooter was in good working order, as he was aware of the fire risk with lithium-ion battery powered devices.

He said: ‘I’m quite into technology and thought I had a good understanding of electronics, but this just shows a fire like this can happen to anyone. I was a real advocate of things like e-scooters and e-cigarettes, but I wouldn’t ever buy anything like that again after going through this.

‘I would never want this to happen to anyone else, so I hope by sharing my experience, I can help other people to stay safe.’

KFRS Crew Manager Steve Smart, who was one of the first firefighters at the scene, said: ‘Kevin absolutely had a lucky escape – if Shogun hadn’t of woken him up the outcome could have been very different.

‘We’re grateful to Kevin for sharing his story, which we know can’t have been easy, but we hope it will help to raise awareness of the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and encourage people take extra care, and to use and store them safely to reduce the chance of fire.’

Mr Smart urges people who own any items powered by lithium-ion batteries to remember to only buy devices and parts from reputable suppliers.

He also warns people to charge and store them safely in line with the manufacturer’s guidance, only charge them when at home and awake and always unplug them after use.

It is also vital to store them well away from escape routes or sleeping areas and to have a smoke alarm on each floor of your home and test them weekly.

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