Fire Department Shares Rescue Efforts & Tips For Pet Safety

Firefighters say the main reason for loss of life is because a victim's oxygen has been compromised.

DULUTH, Minn. – Over the last few weeks several big house fires have happened in the Northland.

In those fires, pets weren’t able to make it out alive.

On Feb 6. three dogs died in a structure fire in Duluth.

FOX21 checked in with the Gary Fire Station, the first crew to arrive at Tuesday’s fire.

They tell us pets inside of a burning building is something they see often. In fact, it happens around 70 percent of the time they respond to a house fire.

You’re looking at a pet kit that can be found in each rig serving Duluth.

These masks fit dogs and cats so they can receive oxygen when rescued.

Another tool is this thermal imaging camera.

It measures the temperature and scans for warm spots.

Firefighters usually encounter two scenarios when they arrive on a scene.

“If the pet is scared and chooses to try and get out of the house it’s usually right behind the door,” said Captain Jeff Dellwo. “As soon as we open the door they scoot out. Option two for most scenarios is the pet will get scared and try to find a place to hide inside the house.”

Some common practices include closing your doors so you don’t let oxygen in. This can give you more time to escape and also keeps the smoke and heat out.

Firefighters warn you not to re–enter a burning building in search of your pet.

Instead, you should let let them know your pet is inside.

Another structure fire claimed the life of a dog at the 5000 block of Ramsey Street on Feb. 6. A fundraiser is set up for the family. If you’d like to donate click here.