A group of British firefighters is being hailed as heroes for rescuing two cats from a fire – and putting specially designed pet oxygen masks on their faces, according to a report.
Firefighters responded at around 3 pm on Saturday to the fire in Runcorn, an industrial city southeast of Liverpool, where they battled the flames on the ground floor of the two-story building, Liverpool Echo reported.
The human occupants were unharmed, but the two cats needed medical treatment after the ordeal.
Photos published by the Runcorn Fire Department show two smoke eaters packing cats in towels while they administer oxygen from pet-friendly masks.
“Thanks to our equipment provided by Smokey Paws and training from the Willows Veterinary Group, we were able to deliver oxygen before the cats were transported to the vets,” the department said in a Facebook post.
The non-profit organization Smokey Paws provides special masks to UK fire fighters.
The group said on its website that “46% of households in the UK have pets and, with more than 40,000 household fires a year, it is a shame that the animals die from smoke inhalation”.
A fire incident report published by the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said that four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire.
An update posted on Sunday said the kittens are fine.
The fast-acting firefighters received praise for their perfect response.
“Well done and thank you for saving the lives of these beautiful souls,” wrote a Facebook user.
Another said: “Very good red watch, you all deserve a medal”.