Firefighters rescue puppies from blaze
1:10 A.M. — An alert neighbor’s dog and quick-acting firefighters joined forces Monday to help rescue three Chihuahuas, four puppies and a pet turtle from a burning Cape Coral house.
“When I first heard about the fire, I started to cry. But then they told me that the dogs were all right,” said Gabriella Cuevas, 9, as she held Laika and Pipo, two Chihuahuas who are the parents of a litter of puppies. Angelina the turtle and another Chihuahua named Tequila also made it out of the fire.
A pot left on the family stove started the blaze, which caused about $60,000 in damage to the house on S.E. 28th Terrace, where Gabriella lives with her father, Dennis, and her mother, Ada, according to the Cape Coral Fire Department. The fire broke out just after 2 p.m.
Lydia Kozlowski, who lives next door to the Cuevases, said Ziggy, her pet rat terrier, first noticed the fire.
“He was on the back porch running back and forth and knocking on the sliding glass door to get my attention,” she said.
Denes Husty iii/The News-Press
Gabriella Cuevas, 9, of Cape Coral, holds Chihuahuas Laika, left, and Pipo, that were rescued Monday from a house fire in Cape Coral. In addition to both dogs, their four puppies and a turtle were rescued.
Kozlowski said she looked outside and saw smoke billowing from the Cuevases’ house. she said her husband, Andrew, ran next door to check to see if anybody was home, but only the pets were inside.
Kozlowski reported the fire, and firefighters were on the scene within two to three minutes, said Battalion Chief Chris Cox.
“We saw heavy smoke when we arrived,” Cox said.
He said firefighters broke through the front door, put out the fire and rescued the pets. The rescue was so quick that firefighters didn’t need to use their special oxygen masks for pets, Cox said.
Dennis Cuevas told firefighters that he thought he had turned off the stove before going to pick up his daughter from Caloosa Elementary School, said Van Patterson, an inspector with the fire department.
Kozlowski is keeping the Cuevases’ pets at her house. The American Red Cross has been contacted to assist the family with lodging. Kozlowski said she plans to set up a fund to help the Cuevases some time today.
Check news-press.com for updates.
Denes Husty iii/The News-Press
Four puppies were rescued from a burning Cape Coral home on Monday.
Firefighters rescue puppies from blaze
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