Ambos’ puppy love QAS paramedics save lives of pets caught in house fire
THE lives of a pup and kitten were saved when they were pulled from a burning Gold Coast home and treated by paramedics yesterday.
Police are treating as suspicious the fire that ripped through an Oakwood St, Pimpama two-storey duplex yesterday afternoon.
Fire crews contained the blaze and managed to rescue a seven-month-old cattle dog Holden and one-year-old kitten Chip from the home.
Helensvale Paramedics Jennifer Chesters and Shelly Pringle quickly worked to save the pair who were covered in black soot and suffering from smoke inhalation.
“You could tell they were quite affected by the smoke,” Ms Chesters said.
“They were floppy, had glazed eyes – they weren’t responding to us when we first got there.”
Distraught pet owner Anna Fitzpatrick, who was renting the property with her ex-partner and 19-month-old daughter, returned home to the chaos.
“I didn’t know how to react. I ended up just running out of the car and down to the animals freaking out,” she said.
“They were outside getting oxygen and being treated. I broke down in tears when I saw them, afraid I was going to lose them both. They’re just so tiny and young.”
The twenty-year-old was full of praise for the paramedics who saved her pets.
“I can’t thank Jenny enough, she did so well to save my animals, they really needed the help. I can’t believe they did that and at least got them back to a movable state,” she said.
“And the firies – I couldn’t believe they found them, as they said it was quite black and dark in there.”
Ms Chesters had previously completed three years of veterinary school and worked at a veterinary clinic before joining the Queensland Ambulance Service.
“That was a long time ago, I thought I’d forgotten almost everything,” she said.
“... It’s just a relief that what we could do helped, they didn’t get any sicker. It was really the firefighters getting them out that was magnificent.”
The pair of furry friends were taken to a vet for precautionary checks where they remained last night. “They’re being well looked after and getting the royal treatment,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze.