You’re never too young to be a hero, four Stafford Township kids learned after preventing a fire from spreading in their neighbor’s house — caused by a dog that was trying to eat cupcakes.

Stephanie Nacarlo’s two sons and a friend were playing outside on Columbus Day—which they had off from school—when they heard smoke alarms going off at their neighbor’s house.

The kids quickly told their mom, who had just stepped into the shower, grabbed her phone and with Nacarlo’s permission, went over to the house to see if there were any flames or smoke, with caution to not get too close to it.

The kids, including Nacarlo’s six-year-old daughter Avery who was inside Nacarlo’s room at the time, eight-year-old son Landon, and 11-year-olds Brody and his friend Colton Davis, ran to the back of the neighbor’s house. Colton saw smoke and called the police, Nacarlo said.

Nacarlo herself saw flames on the stove in the kitchen when she ran over. Neighbors Abby and Frank Pannullo’s daughter-in-law made cupcakes for her husband’s birthday and left them to cool on the stove, while she left the house.

Their dog, a boxer named Brutus, couldn’t resist the treat, and jumped up on the stove to get them, accidentally turning the stove’s burner on. The cupcake liners and pan were on fire, Nacarlo said, when she got there.

“As a direct result of the kids’ quick response in calling 911, the dog was uninjured and the fire was put out before causing any structural damage to the home,” a release from the police department said.

“(The firefighters) said if it had (been) 15 more minutes, it would’ve spread throughout the kitchen,” Nacarlo said.

The kids remained calm, despite the craziness, and were rewarded for their quick thinking by the township’s police department. The Stafford police department organized a celebration at a local pizza place on Tuesday, complete with a banner, plaques, and appearances from council members.

The Stafford Township Police Department threw a pizza party for the kids on Tuesday, complete with a banner and plaques.Stafford Township Police Department

Nacarlo said she was “blown away” by the event.

“We thought we were just going to grab pizza,” she said. “(The kids) were overwhelmed. My little one was looking at me and said, ‘This is the best day ever.’”

Afterward, Officer Marisa Lawrence took the kids to a frozen yogurt place and Abby Pannullo gave them little gifts, Nacarlo said. Lawrence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I was really proud of them,” Nacarlo said. “I thought they handled it (well), they were so calm and did the right thing.”

Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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