Four lucky cats are on the road to recovery after California firefighters rescued them from a smoke-filled apartment and brought them back with on-the-spot CPR.
The dramatic rescue happened in Riverside County after firefighters had already knocked down an apartment fire and were getting ready to leave the scene. That is when a neighbor alerted them that several pets were still trapped inside, according to Local12.
Firefighters Dave Colombo and Ray Guillen immediately rushed back into the apartment to search for the animals.
Inside, they found four cats hiding under a bed. But the situation was dire. The cats were unresponsive after breathing in heavy smoke.
“As soon as I grabbed it, it fell over,” Guillen said while recalling the condition of one of the cats. “You could tell it was in bad shape.”
The firefighters quickly carried the cats outside, where Capt. Mark Lewan and other crew members jumped into action.
Video released by the Riverside County Fire Department showed firefighters working beside a fire engine as they tried to save the animals. Crews used oxygen masks specially adapted for cats and performed CPR techniques similar to those used on infants.
Lewan even gave rescue breaths to one of the cats.
“I gave him mouth-to-snout and started rescue breathing for the cat, hoping to revive him and get him to start breathing again,” he said.
Thankfully, the lifesaving efforts worked.
All four cats regained consciousness and survived the terrifying ordeal, according to Local12. Fire officials said the animals were later reunited with their owner and are now continuing to recover.
No other injuries were reported.