Additional coverage of this same incident crews rescued two cats and two dogs from an apartment fire on Tuesday, extinguishing flames in the affected unit and administering on-scene medical care to the animals, the department said.

Firefighters arrived quickly and moved to both suppress the blaze and search the unit for occupants and pets, Napa Fire said in a statement. Crews used specialized pet oxygen masks known as FIDO masks to deliver oxygen to the animals at the scene before the pets were taken for further medical monitoring.

“Crews used FIDO masks to provide oxygen, and all pets are expected to recover,” the department said. Personnel described the operation as a coordinated effort that balanced fire suppression with immediate attention to the welfare of people and animals inside the residence.

According to the department’s account, crews knocked down the flames and then conducted a systematic search of the unit. The two cats and two dogs were located and removed from the residence, where firefighters treated them on scene with oxygen and other basic interventions prior to transferring them for additional observation.

Officials said the rapid response limited the impact of the fire on the immediate area and allowed crews to focus on both extinguishing the blaze and attending to the rescued animals. Napa Fire also noted it continues to manage the incident’s aftermath and is documenting its response steps.

The department emphasized that the use of pet-specific equipment at fire scenes is part of standard protocol. FIDO masks, designed to fit an animal’s snout, allow firefighters to administer supplemental oxygen safely without delaying other critical rescue and suppression work.

The rescue drew broader context from national data: an estimated 500,000 pets are affected by fires each year in the United States, according to figures cited by the ASPCA and attributed to the U.S. Fire Administration. That tally refers to animals impacted by residential fires and does not specify how many are directly rescued by responding crews.

Fire officials also reiterated common causes of apartment fires that can imperil both people and pets. Those causes include cooking equipment, heating equipment—especially space heaters—electrical malfunctions, and open flames such as candles or smoking materials, as well as other unintentional or careless actions.

To reduce the risk to animals during residential fires, officials encourage including pets in household planning. Practical steps include incorporating pets into the family fire escape plan, assigning each animal to a specific adult, keeping collars, leashes or carriers near exits, and practicing evacuations so animals reliably come when called.

In this incident, the Napa Fire Department said the combination of a swift arrival, coordinated suppression efforts and the availability of on-scene animal care equipment made the difference between a confined unit fire and a more dangerous situation. The department reiterated that all four animals were expected to recover after receiving oxygen and monitoring.

What steps can pet owners take to ensure their animals’ safety during a fire emergency, and the department noted its practices align with wider recommendations for treating animals exposed to smoke and stress at fire scenes.

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Original reporting: view the original article.