A sleeping man in Oconomowoc was saved after a passerby noticed a fire at his house

A town of Oconomowoc man is safe, thanks to a passerby who spotted a fire before the he was aware of it.

The passerby's report also greatly limited the amount of damage at the home, according to Western Lakes Fire District Chief Brad Bowen.

"We found smoke and flames coming from the rear of the house," Bowen said. "It was the porch on fire. ... They got there, extinguished the fire, went to do an interior search of the house, woke (the man) up and got (him)" and a dog out of the house.

"They also confirmed that there was no further extension from the fire into the house," Bowen said of the passerby. 

Fire crews responded to N57 W39785 W. Wisconsin Ave. at 10:49 p.m. Aug. 17, and remained at the scene for an hour. Bowen said the fire was under control within the first 18 minutes of fire crews arriving.

The fire is thought to have started with an exterior outlet overheating.

Bowen estimated damages at about $30,000. The property was insured, and the residents can still live there.

Laney Smith, who lives in the home but was not there at the time, thanked the fire department on social media.

"Thank you all so much for the fast response," Smith wrote on the Western Lakes Facebook Page. "You saved our house and my family from anything that could have happened to them."

Bowen credited the quick action of the bystander.

"Great work of the bystander calling 911 being attentive and not just saying, 'Oh, it's a bonfire,'" Bowen said. "That could have been catastrophic." 

The Okauchee and Stone Bank fire departments, along with the town of Oconomowoc and city of Oconomowoc police departments and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also responded to the fire.

Contact Evan Frank at (262) 361-9138 or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.