SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A toddler who died in a house fire was found with his dog and teddy bear next to him and authorities believe the dog tried to protect the boy, a spokesman for Spokane's fire department said Saturday.

The dog, a terrier mixed breed, also died in the fire that broke out at about 11:30 p.m. Friday, said the spokesman, Brian Schaeffer.

Three other children and two adults escaped from the blaze in Spokane's Hillyard neighborhood, he said.

The dog stayed behind in an attempt to protect the boy, firefighters believe, and the fire was so intense that it melted the metal on the frame of the boy's bed, Schaeffer said.

The battery in the house's smoke detector had been removed and it was not working, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and police are investigating the child's death.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com