A three-legged dog has saved an Australian family from their burning home, police said on Friday.

The dog's persistent barking woke the family, allowing them to escape from a fire that destroyed their timber home in Dalby, a town west of Brisbane in Queensland state, police said.

They said the property's owner and her two children, aged four and two, escaped with their saviour Jack, a blue heeler-cross who lost his front left leg in a car accident five years ago.

The fire is believed to have been sparked by a faulty heater. - Sapa-AFP