Firefighters resuscitated two dogs after fire tore through a Kingsville house last Saturday.
Emergency crews arrived at the house in Chirnside Street about 9.15am to find the single-storey Californian bungalow engulfed in flames.
It took 26 firefighters about half an hour to bring the blaze under control.
MFB spokesman Trevor Woodward said firefighters were trying to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring property when they made a surprise discovery – two dogs in need of medical attention.
“The dogs were resuscitated by fireys on scene for smoke inhalation,” he said.
“The fire was just being brought under control when the dogs were located and removed to safety.
“An off-duty firefighter who had stopped to assist volunteered to tend to the dogs by giving them oxygen from the first aid kit. A police officer then placed the dogs in his patrol car and took them to a local vet.”
Mr Woodward said the dogs, believed to be bulldog cross breeds, had recovered well. However, a pet bird was not so lucky and succumbed to smoke inhalation. He said the homeowner, who had gone on a fishing trip the week before, had been notified of the blaze.
Most of the house and its roof sustained extensive damage, with repairs estimated at up to $200,000.
A neighbouring house also sustained minor damage and two neighbours were treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
