A New Jersey couple said their doorbell system saved their lives during an early morning fire at their Vineland, New Jersey, home.
Rosa Gonzalez and Anthony Rios were sleeping inside their home on the 1700 block of West Oak Road around 5 a.m. Monday when they received an alert from their Ring doorbell app that someone was at the side door. That's when they noticed billowing smoke that set off the system.
"I thought it was someone playing a joke, like blowing smoke into the camera," Rios told NBC10.
The couple soon realized their garage was engulfed in flames. They quickly escaped as fire and smoke spread into other parts of the house.
"Because of the Ring, we were able to get out, crawl out of the home safely," Gonzalez said. "And we're here today because of the Ring."
While their home had working smoke detectors, they didn't hear them go off until they were already outside.
"We were able to get out and not one scratch," Gonzalez said. "And we're blessed in that sense."
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Investigators spent Monday trying to figure out what sparked the fire, which destroyed or damaged several cars, including a brand new vehicle belonging to Rios' 18-year-old daughter.
"She was tagging that up today," Rios said. "I gave her the title last night."
The Red Cross is assisting the family who have a different place to stay for now. They plan to rebuild and get a replacement Ring camera.
