'He could hear barking:' Police, firefighters work together to try to save 4 dogs, 4 cats, bird from fire
Greenfield house fire
GREENFIELD -- A home in Greenfield filled with smoke, and those inside were helpless to get out. Police and firefighters are being credited for the heroic rescue that didn't involve any humans.
Investigators say no one was home when the fire started, but inside the home, there were four dogs, four cats and a bird. Some of those pets survived thanks to some tremendous teamwork.
It's every pet owner's nightmare. The fire at the home near 68th and Allerton on Friday afternoon, Jan. 26 left pets trapped.
"There were several animals inside. When one of our officers arrived on scene, he could actually hear barking coming from inside," Captain Sean Licht, Greenfield Police Department said.
Captain Sean Licht
Captain Licht said the smoke coming from the home was so intense, the officer who arrived at the scene first couldn't enter.
"Our officer couldn't see inside. There was no way he would have been able to make entry," Licht said.
Once the fire department arrived, the officer told them he heard barking inside. Investigators say there were four dogs, four cats and a bird. Sadly, only two dogs and a cat were found alive, but with labored breathing. The cat later died.
"They administered oxygen and transported the animals to the emergency vet clinic on Highway 100," Licht said.
Greenfield house fire
Greenfield's fire chief said the fire isn't suspicious and likely started in the kitchen, but no humans were home when it began. Police and fire officials worked quickly at the scene to try to save the animals -- using pet-friendly oxygen masks.
"We actually have some oxygen masks that we carry in our paramedic units and are shaped like a cone," Jon Cohn, Greenfield fire chief said.
As of Monday night, Jan. 29, vets said a bloodhound named Bueford was back with his owner, and a lab mix named Monty was still being treated. A worker at the vet overseeing the survivors even reached out to the firefighters on Facebook, thanking everyone for their life-saving efforts.
"Firefighters and police officers are just generally invested in saving life. This time it happened to be pets," Cohn said.
Greenfield Fire Chief Jon Cohn
The residents aren't currently staying at the home where the fire happened. Investigators said a relative who stopped over to drop off medication for one of the dogs first noticed the fire and called 911.
The family has set up a GoFundMe.com account to raise money for the surviving animals' veterinary bills.
