A dog started a kitchen fire at a home in Saskatoon on Sunday.

Two dogs were home alone at a house on Vancouver Ave. N. Sunday afternoon when one of the animals turned on a stove burner, which ignited a cardboard box of apples on top of the stove, fire officials say. The fire then spread to the cupboards.

"There was food on top of the stove, and what we think happened is that the dog went for the food ... and inadvertently bumped (a burner) on," acting assistant chief Brent Hart said Monday.

The controls for the stovetop are on the front of the appliance. Firefighters think the large dog is some kind of bull-mastiff cross.

The call came in shortly before 4 p.m. from a home-monitoring system and crews were on scene shortly thereafter, Hart said.

"It's a very rare occurrence," Hart said. "That's just a fluke when a dog can actually activate a control."

Firefighters estimate the damage — the singed cupboards and smoke damage — at about $15,000.

No one — including the dog responsible for the blaze — was injured.

Hart says there's a lesson to be learned from the "freaky occurrence."

"Don't leave anything on top of the stove," he said.