Firefighters Revive Unconscious Dog Pulled From Burning Pasadena Home

Firefighters pulled an unconscious dog from a smoke-filled Pasadena home Wednesday afternoon and revived it at the scene as crews confined the fire to a single bedroom, according to Lisa Derderian, the city’s chief communications officer.

The dog was alert and in good condition afterward and was taken to a veterinarian for follow-up care. No people were injured. Four residents were displaced but did not need assistance, Derderian said.

Derderian estimated property damage at $100,000 and the value of property saved at $1.5 million.

Pasadena Fire Department units were dispatched at 1:09 p.m. in the 400 block of Michillinda Ave., with the Arcadia and Sierra Madre fire departments also responding. The first engine arrived at 1:14 p.m., about four minutes after dispatch, and crews found smoke coming from the attic of the one-story house.

Firefighters forced their way inside and encountered heavy smoke. During a rapid search, they found the dog unconscious and unresponsive. At the same time, crews advanced hose lines through the house to locate the fire, while others performed ventilation on the roof to clear heat, smoke and gases from the interior.

After the dog was removed from the house, the Rapid Intervention crew began resuscitation measures. Pasadena Animal Control was called to assist, and by the time it arrived, the dog had been revived and was alert. The homeowner later arrived and took possession of the dog.

Firefighters found the seat of the fire in a rear bedroom and extinguished it. The fire was knocked down at 1:30 p.m., and salvage was addressed at 1:35 p.m., according to the department’s incident report. The aggressive fire attack and ventilation work kept the blaze to a room-and-contents fire in the bedroom, Derderian said.

Crews worked in 104-degree heat, the temperature documented at the time of the incident. Air Utility 39 and Training 34 responded to help with air bottle refilling and firefighter rehabilitation.

The response included five engines, two trucks, a rescue ambulance, three battalion chiefs, a deputy chief, an air utility unit and two arson investigators. The Pasadena Police Department, Pasadena Water and Power, the Gas Company and Pasadena Animal Control also assisted.

The incident report did not list a cause of the fire. The incident was closed at 4:21 p.m.