Duke knew before anyone else.

The dog is being credited with saving his family after a fire tore through their home in Kitchener, Ontario, before dawn in late May, according to CTV News.

Nancy Ellis told CTV News she was asleep when Duke woke her. “I woke up to Duke waking me up, pulling my hair, barking in my face, and shaking uncontrollably. He knew something was wrong,” Ellis said.

Ellis said she first thought someone was at the door. After checking and returning to the bedroom, she looked outside and saw the front porch on fire.

“I just yelled for my husband. I said, ‘The porch is on fire!'” Ellis told the outlet. “I grabbed my cellphone, and then we went out and called 911. I didn’t realize how big of a fire it was. So, it was just minutes that the whole porch was engulfed.”

Kitchener Fire said crews were called at about 1:50 a.m. Five people were inside the home when Duke woke Ellis.

Ellis’ 11-year-old nephew, Silas Larin, told CTV News the family quickly found their main exit was blocked.

“I woke up my mom, and she tried going downstairs to open the door, but there was just too much smoke and fire. So, we went back up and closed the door, and I opened the window and broke the screen, and we escaped out onto the roof,” he said.

CTV News reported that all five people got out alive, along with four dogs and two cats. The fire destroyed the home and three vehicles.

“If it wasn’t for [Duke] waking me up, we would not be here today,” Ellis said.

Authorities believe the fire started on the covered porch. The estimated damage is $400,000.

“Our memories and antiques. My husband’s grandfather’s things and belongings that he was saving, it’s all gone,” Ellis told CTV News.

As of the report, the family was receiving help from the Red Cross, community donations and an online fundraiser. Ellis called the ordeal “a nightmare that I want to wake up from.”

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