Pet Rescue From Fires Reuniting Families

Rescuing people is always the first priority for Yakima Firefighters in a house fire. They then search for family pets and sometimes they are found inside burning homes unconscious.

Capt. Tom Schneider says that is when they use specially designed pet oxygen masks that have already saved numerous pets. “There’s things you can replace after a fire but you can’t replace a family pet like a dog that’s been in the family for years.”

One of those pet oxygen masks was used in a house fire Monday at a home in the 400 block of N 44th St. A dog by the name of Thor was found in the burning home and was revived within 10 minutes of being rescued. The homeowners say they were thankful to firefighters because they consider Thor a member of the family.

Each frontline fire unit in the valley is equipped with pet rescue masks that were donated by the community more than five years ago.