A man ran into a burning building to save his roommate's pit bull after a suspected arson-attack destroyed a line of homes.

Brett Bauer, 36, from Kansas City, was lying in bed, watching TV in his basement when his home was evacuated as flames tore through a neighbor's house.

The fire, whipped by 36-mile-per-hour winds, quickly spread to Bauer's own home and another nearby.

Once outside he realised two-year-old Luna, his housemate's dog, was trapped inside, locked in a cage.

He battled through fire and smoke to pull her to safety before his home was burned.

Authorities suspect the inferno at 1.15pm on April 17 was a case of arson.

Brave Bauer said: "She almost ran out of her leash. I was having a hard time holding her with my flip flops on."

"I couldn't live with myself if the dog hadn't made it."

Eventually, Bauer managed to settle her in the backyard, away from immediate danger.

As first responders arrived, Bauer watched firefighters and police battle the blaze.

"The police ran upstairs, knocked on the door and were screaming. I yelled at them that no one was upstairs. It was just me and my roommate home at the time," Bauer said."

"I left all my stuff inside."

The fire department's quick work prevented Bauer's home from being completely destroyed, but not before significant damage occurred.

The neighbor's house was lost while Bauer's home suffered water and roof damage.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, with arson suspected.

"The cops were thinking it was arson," Bauer said, noting he saw a suspicious figure in the neighbor's backyard with a flashlight days before the incident"

The Kansas City Missouri Fire Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.