The pups are fine, but the mamma was a bit cowed by all the attention.

She sat in her cage just outside the house and watched Thursday as firefighters put out the fire in what used to be a dog kennel behind a residence at 327 Mastin Ave.

The fire broke out at approximately 11:05 a.m. behind the residence of Bill Gilmore. His daughter, Danielle, said she wondered if a heat lamp was to blame for the blaze.

"We had a heat lamp in there for the dogs - to keep them warm," Danielle Gilmore said. "I don't know if that's what started it."

Gilmore said a man passing by on a bicycle knocked on the door of her house and alerted her to the smoke outside. Then, he and a UPS delivery man, who was also passing by, helped get the dogs to safety.

"We've got some good neighbors," Bill Gilmore said. "There are a lot of good people in this town, anyway."

Ironton Fire Department Capt. Mike Mahlmeister said no injuries were reported in connection with the fire. However, the back part of Gilmore's house and a house next door suffered vinyl siding damage due to the heat created by the blaze.

A camper next to the outbuilding also sustained damage.