Cedar Hill Fire Protection District crews rescued a cat from a burning house early in the morning on Nov. 1. The cat was treated on-site for smoke inhalation by Eureka Fire Protection District crews, who have special pet oxygen masks on hand, said Cedar Hill Chief Mick Fischer.
Two adult occupants in the house, in the 5200 block of Dutch Creek Road in Cedar Hill, managed to evacuate the home before crews arrived and were uninjured, he said.
Fischer said fire and smoke were visible when crews arrived at the home at 5:18 a.m.
“The fire originated in a storage room,” he said. “The occupants were home at the time of the fire, and they self-evacuated. They were woken up by a loud noise from somewhere in the house.”
The cause of the fire was ruled accidental, Fischer said, and the fire district has not ruled out an electrical cause. The house is unlivable and would need major renovations, Fischer said.
Eureka Fire said in a Facebook post that the pet oxygen mask used to revive the cat was donated to the district by Kennelwood Pet Resorts last year.
“Our crews utilized an oxygen mask designed specifically for pets to help revive a cat on scene that was rescued from the burning home,” the post stated. “After being revived, the cat was taken by a family member to an emergency vet.”
Fischer said the High Ridge Fire Protection District and Big River Ambulance District assisted on the scene, in addition to Eureka Fire. The St. Clair Fire Protection District provided coverage to the rest of Cedar Hill Fire’s district while crews responded to the scene, he said.
The fire was ruled under control at 6:17 a.m., and the last crew left the scene at 8:01 a.m., Fischer said.