Firefighters use oxygen masks, CPR to save cats from fire in senior living complex
Riverside County firefighters and a deputy saved the lives of four cats during an apartment fire. (Source: KCAL, KCBS, CALFIRE RIVERSIDE, ADAM MALDONADO, CNN)
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KCAL) – A fire at a senior living complex in Southern California left more than a dozen people displaced.
Thankfully, everyone made it out safely, but four cats were trapped inside one of the apartments and needed to be rescued.
That’s when firefighters and a deputy jumped into action as the felines were suffering from smoke inhalation.
Ray Guillen with Riverside County Fire was one of the first responders who went back into the charred building and started searching.
“When I looked under the bed, I found the first one. But as soon as I went to grab it, it just fell over. So, I knew something was wrong,” he said.
Not one, not two, but three of the cats that were found were lifeless inside an apartment.
With the cats in need and not enough paramedics, Riverside County Deputy Adam Maldonado came running, too.
“We started giving them chest compressions and I know from holding my cats, their hearts beat pretty fast,” he said.
Through chest compressions, mouth-to-snout resuscitation and a little oxygen, the cats eventually came back around.
It was a rescue caught on video, and the team has since received an outpouring of praise for its actions.
“We’ve gotten a lot of text messages about it. It’s a great thing,” Firefighter Salvador de La Cruz said.
Although saving lives and property is the job of first responders, the fact that they cared enough to save these animals means the world to many.
The fire crew requested help from animal control to take the cats for further treatment, with the American Red Cross assisting the displaced residents.
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