Dog saves deaf 13-year-old owner from fire by giving him 'warning licks'

Nick Lamb had taken out his hearing aids the night before and was only alerted to the fire when his dog began to lick his face

Ace who has been credited with saving the life of his 13-year-old owner (AP)

An Indianapolis pit bull named Ace has been hailed a hero after he was able to save his 13-year-old deaf owner from a by giving him “warning licks”.

Nick Lamb, who was born deaf, had fallen asleep without his hearing aids in when the fire began on Wednesday evening.

Yet, as the blaze spread and the house began to fill with smoke, the warning barks from Ace could not be heard by the hearing aid-less Lamb.

Instead of running to safety, Ace then tried to wake up his owner by licking his face until he woke up.

Lamb said: “My dog licked my face and woke me up

"I was like, `Stop it! What? You want to be fed?' I thought he wanted to be fed or go outside."

When Lamb realised the smoke billowing into his room, he quickly took action, grabbing a T-shirt to cover his nose and mouth and exiting through the back door.

A shoeless Lamb and his sidekick Ace managed to get out of the house unscathed, before contacting 911 and, of course, Lamb’s mum.

Lindsay Bernard, the relieved mother of Lamb, told the Associated Press that Ace was responsible for saving her son from injury.

She said: "It's amazing, because if he wouldn't have been there, he probably wouldn't have even woke up."

It is estimated that the fire caused $175,000 worth of damage to the property.

According to Graham, it was the first time he had been allowed to stay at the home alone and had returned home just days before from summer camp.

Ace was not the only pet to have been in the house when the fire began.

Pixie, Lamb’s cat, was discovered by Firefighters inside the home. She was She was taken to a vet for smoke inhalation and was expected to recover.

Additional Reporting by AP