Parrot’s fire alarm sounds save family

A noisy parrot that likes to imitate sounds helped save a man and his son from a house fire in Muncie, Ind., by mocking a smoke alarm, the bird’s owner says.

Shannon Conwell said he and his 9-year-old son fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. They awoke about 3 a.m. on Oct. 19 to find their home on fire after hearing the family’s Amazon parrot, Peanut, imitating a fire alarm.

The smoke alarm had activated, but it was the bird’s call that caught Conwell’s attention.

“I grabbed my son and my bird, and got out of the house,” Conwell said.

The fire destroyed the dining room, kitchen and bedroom, fire officials said. It remains under investigation.

Aside from Peanut, Conwell said the fact that he and his son fell asleep on the couch helped save them. They may not have heard the alarm or the bird if they were asleep in their bedrooms. He said an air conditioner and breathing machine in his bedroom drown out a lot of noise around the house.