In 35 years as a volunteer firefighter, Brett Tetanish says he’s never seen a fire like the one he witnessed on Saturday night in Newport Station, N.S.
About 20 dogs were rescued from a fire in a single-storey home. One dog did not survive.
“Every time I looked, it seemed there was a firefighter or a couple more firefighters bringing another dog out of the home and I say, ‘Oh, my goodness! You know, how many are there?’ And they just kept coming,” said the Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department chief.
Tetanish said the people who lived in the home weren’t there at the time of the fire, which was reported around 6:30 p.m. AT.
Tetanish said around 40 firefighters responded, including from two other departments.
“We had probably just as many fire personnel taking care of the dogs as we did actually fighting the fire,” he said.
It’s unclear why the home had so many dogs in it.
Tetanish said the departments have oxygen masks for animals, but didn’t have enough to give to all the dogs, which included a litter of puppies, so they had to use some better suited for humans.
“It was heartwarming to see that there’s that much care from the firefighters toward the dogs,” said Tetanish. “You know, they’re giving the dogs oxygen and whatever else they had to do to care for the dogs.”
Tetanish said some veterinary technicians from a local animal hospital also helped care for the dogs, which were then taken to emergency clinics in the Halifax area.
The fire was contained to the kitchen area, said Tetanish. He said there’s some fire and water damage in that area, as well as smoke damage throughout the home.
Tetanish said the fire is considered accidental, but the cause is unclear.
He said two people who live next to the property were treated for smoke inhalation and are thought to be OK. He believes they entered the home to fight the fire and possibly get some of the dogs out.
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