Crews from Halifax and Illingworth fire stations attended the incident at Howard Street in Halifax at around 2pm on Thursday, December 1st when a halogen heater set fire to a dog’s bedding.
The heater had been keeping the dog and her puppy warm but had started a fire in the kitchen of the terraced property. While the dog had managed to escape through a hatch in the back door, firefighters searched for any puppies in the smoke-filled house. Crew commander Neal Andrews-Parry said they heard a tiny squeak coming from under the kitchen cupboards.
“The puppy was only a week old and still had its eyes closed,” said crew commander Andrews-Parry. “It had been right by where the fire had been and we wrapped it in blankets to keep it warm and then gave it oxygen therapy. We then rushed the puppy to the nearby West Mount Vets and this week heard that the puppy is doing well and has been returned to its mother.”
Taking part in the rescue along with CCOM Andrews-Parry were firefighters Damian Lord, James Barker and David Hebblewhite. Police Community Support Officer Mira Wojciechowska witnessed the incident and said all the firefighters were incredible.
“Your crew were absolute legends, immediately provided first aid to the little puppy,” she said. “I see the West Yorkshire fire crews many times while on duty, and sometimes I work alongside them, and they always do amazing work. But what I saw during that incident was a pure act of kindness and love – they saw this little dog as a living creature, not just as a pet. They were as professional as they always are, helping people.
“Current times are difficult, and people deserve a heart-warming story as we're coming up to Christmas – and these heroes deserve a lot of praise.”