Midtown fire kills three dogs, a turtle and a chicken
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Firefighters rescued a dog from a Midtown kitchen fire that killed several other pets Friday night, authorities said.
Responding to a 911 call about a possible cooler fire on the roof, firefighters found floor-to-ceiling smoke when they broke down the front door of a home near South Craycroft Road and East 29th Street.
Three dogs, a turtle and a chicken were found inside dead of smoke inhalation, a Tucson Fire Department spokesman said.
"Firefighters did find one dog inside that was alive and were able to bring the dog out to safety, " said Capt. Chris Jurvig.
Four other dogs were found in the backyard unharmed, Jurvig said in a news release.
When fire crews arrived on the scene just before 7 p.m., "they found smoke coming from multiple openings in the attic space," Jurvig said.
Entering the house in the 1900 block of South Jefferson Avenue to fight the fire and perform a search, crews "found smoke banked down from the ceiling to the floor," he said.
"A ladder company secured utilities and went to the roof and cut a ventilation hole with a chainsaw to help remove smoke from the structure. During the search, the deceased pets were discovered by the crews," he said.
Firefighters had the fire in the kitchen under control about 24 minutes after arriving, Jurvig said.
"They pulled down the ceiling drywall in the kitchen to ensure the fire hadn't spread into the attic. High powered fans were set up immediately to help evacuate the residual smoke in the home," he said.
"Pima County Animal Control was called to the scene to assist the owner with the animals," he said.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation, he said, and a damage estimate was not yet available.
"The fire damage was limited to the kitchen area but the home did sustain heavy smoke damage," Jurvig said. The homeowner was going to stay with family, he said.
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