Almost 70 Pomeranians Plus a 'Few Cats' Rescued from California House Fire
A house caught fire in the San Francisco Bay area this week and miraculously 70 dogs, mostly pomeranians, and three cats made it out safely.
Three people also self-evacuated from the blaze.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to the two-story house fire on Barber Lane in Martinez, a suburb about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco, according to The Press Democrat.
There they were met with numerous dogs, three cats and three people to rescue, according to the East Bay Times.
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In one photo, posted by the fire department's Twitter page, show a number of the rescued pomeranians.
The fire started in the garage and sent one person to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Two others were not injured. The blaze fully engulfed the attached garage and spread to the second story, Steve Hill, a spokesman for the fire district told SFGATE.
None of the animals were injured.
Barber Lane garage fire in Martinez has been knocked down. One resident transported to hospital for smoke inhalation, two other residents uninjured. Firefighters rescuing multiple dogs. Fire under investigation. #barberic pic.twitter.com/sf9LzzGDzy
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) January 17, 2023
Firefighters safely removed as many as 70 dogs and cats with the help of police, animal control and "many helpful neighbors," the fire district said on Twitter.
The investigation determined the fire was not suspicious in nature, according to the fire department.
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"The vast majority were pomeranians," Hill told SFGATE. "There were some other dogs mixed in there. A few cats in the mix. They were hard to inventory because they were all running around."
Hill said the dogs belonged to a breeder who is a friend of the residents of the home. The animals were taken to the Contra Costa County Animal Services Department where they awaited to be picked up by their owner, according to SFGATE.
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Anima Services Lt. Alana Weissman told the East Bay Times that animal control officers were "happy to come out and assist and give the animals a quick once over to make sure they were healthy. They all look happy and healthy."
