UPDATE 1:14pm | Click here to watch a video of the dog being resuscitated by Long Beach firefighters yesterday morning.
The dog was found lifeless on the bathroom floor of a home in the 4800 block of Bentree Avenue that had caught fire at about 10:30 a.m.
The canine resuscitation mask that firefighters used was provided to the department by local nonprofit Friends of Long Beach Animals.
The dog firefighters resuscitated at the scene of a house fire in the 4800 block of Bentree Avenue on March 3 rests after being evaluated at a nearby veterinary hospital. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Fire Department.
9:05am | Long Beach firefighters successfully resuscitated an unconscious dog they discovered while battling a house blaze in the Eighth District yesterday, officials said.
The Long Beach Fire Department was dispatched at approximately 10:28 a.m. to a home in the 4800 block of Bentree Avenue after a Long Beach Gas Department Employee saw large amounts of black smoke coming from the back of the house and attic vents, according to information provided by Firefighter Steve Yamamoto.
Engine No.12 arrived at the scene within three minutes, and firefighters stretched a hose line into the structure after forcing entry through the front door, initiating an aggressive interior attack, Yamamoto said.
Firefighters on Rescue 9 quickly pulled a backup hose to the rear of the home and pried the back door open to gain access. Meanwhile, a crew climbed a ladder to the top of the burning house and cut a hole in the roof that allowed the intense heat and dense smoke that had built up inside the home to escape, Yamamoto said.
The flames were knocked down in a matter of minutes. As firefighters conducted a search for possible victims, they came across what appeared to be a lifeless, medium-sized dog on the bathroom floor, Yamamoto said.
Firefighters scooped up the dog and rushed it to the front of the house, where they administered a high flow of oxygen to the dog using a canine resuscitator. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian for treatment and evaluation after its respiratory rate and drive improved and the dog no longer appeared lethargic, Yamamoto said.
A total of 10 fire engines and trucks and 26 employees responded to the scene.
No one was home at the time of the fire, and no firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, the cause of which fire investigators are currently probing, Yamamoto said.
Photo courtesy of Long Beach Fire Department
Photo courtesy of Long Beach Fire Department