Dozens of dogs, cats rescued from Fresno house fire
Courtesy: Fresno Fire Dept./Hector Vasquez PIO
FRESNO, Calif. (KTVU) - Firefighters in Fresno rescued almost 40 animals from a fire that broke out at home on Monday.
Fire officials said they responded to the fire within minutes of receiving the call and managed to knock it down quickly.
Inside the home they found 35 dogs and two cats.
Firefighters quickly carried the animals to safety and treated a handful of animals with oxygen.
The Fresno Fire Department is one of a few departments in the region that carry pet oxygen masks, according to public information officer Hector Vasquez.
No firefighters or residents were hurt. But unfortunately, one dog did not make it, said Vasquez.
Some of the other animals suffered minor injuries and the SPCA took in about 15 animals.
The remainder of the surviving animals are reportedly being cared for by neighbors.
Vasquez said it was the first time in a while the department came upon this many animals while responding to a fire.
He described it as "an incident that was out of the norm."
Investigators say the animals did not appear mistreated or malnourished and there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
It's unclear what the long-term plan for the animals will be.
Fire officials say they're still trying to determine what led to the fire, which caused an estimated $15,000 in damage.