BY BILL MILLER
wmiller@star-telegram.com
Using CPR and oxygen, firefighters revived a dog they rescued Thursday from a burning house in east Fort Worth.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation.
The fire started about 1:30 p.m. in a single-story house at the intersection of South Beach Street and East Vickery Boulevard, the fire department reported.
Firefighters with a ladder truck were already in the neighborhood when they saw smoke, said Engineer Tim Hardeman, fire department spokesman.
"The driver said he noticed a haze, and they drove right up to it," Hardeman said.
Neighbors were calling 911 about the same time.
Fourteen other fire crews responded as a north wind and clutter inside the house hampered the fight to douse the fire, Hardeman said.
Flames reached the attic, he said, but firefighters knocked them down and brought the blaze under control.
A neighbor told them that an elderly man lived in the home with two dogs.
The man was not inside, but firefighters found two large, mixed-breed dogs, Hardeman said.
"One was OK," he said, "but the other was unresponsive."
Firefighters got busy giving the dog CPR and oxygen from a mask. The dog was revived, Hardeman said, but firefighters urged the owner, who arrived later, to take it to a veterinarian.
Dogs that inhale smoke can later develop fluid in their lungs, which can be fatal. The fire department doesn't keep statistics on how many animals it tries to save each year, but it happens several times each year, Hardeman said.
"Some of the trucks do have an oxygen mask made for an animal that fits over the snout," he noted, "but we could also use a mask for humans.
"Of course, saving human life is the priority, but if we can offer assistance, medically, to an animal, we're going to do what we can."
The cause of the fire was still under investigation.
The fire started about 1:30 p.m. in a single-story house at the intersection of South Beach Street and East Vickery Boulevard, the fire department reported.
Firefighters with a ladder truck were already in the neighborhood when they saw smoke, said Engineer Tim Hardeman, fire department spokesman.
"The driver said he noticed a haze, and they drove right up to it," Hardeman said.
Neighbors were calling 911 about the same time.
Fourteen other fire crews responded as a north wind and clutter inside the house hampered the fight to douse the fire, Hardeman said.
Flames reached the attic, he said, but firefighters knocked them down and brought the blaze under control.
A neighbor told them that an elderly man lived in the home with two dogs.
The man was not inside, but firefighters found two large, mixed-breed dogs, Hardeman said.
"One was OK," he said, "but the other was unresponsive."
Firefighters got busy giving the dog CPR and oxygen from a mask. The dog was revived, Hardeman said, but firefighters urged the owner, who arrived later, to take it to a veterinarian.
Dogs that inhale smoke can later develop fluid in their lungs, which can be fatal. The fire department doesn't keep statistics on how many animals it tries to save each year, but it happens several times each year, Hardeman said.
"Some of the trucks do have an oxygen mask made for an animal that fits over the snout," he noted, "but we could also use a mask for humans.
"Of course, saving human life is the priority, but if we can offer assistance, medically, to an animal, we're going to do what we can."
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