COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Firefighters in Columbus, Indiana used special equipment to rescue and save 18 pets from a fire Thursday night.
The fire crews arrived at a house fire at about 9 p.m. in East Columbus. As some firefighters went through the house to see if there were any people inside, the person who lives in the house ran up to the firefighters outside and said there were no people inside, but there were many pets.
The crews outside radioed the inside crews and told them about the pets.
Inside the house, firefighters found eight kittens, eight adult cats and three dogs. They noticed one of the cats was dead, and another was in respiratory distress.
The crew took the cat, named Kolton, outside and used a special pet oxygen mask on it.
PHOTOS: See pictures of the animals and the firefighters working on Kolton above
The fire has been ruled accidental, caused by overloading an electrical power strip.
The pet oxygen mask was donated to the fire department by C.A.R.E., Inc. The masks allow oxygen to get to animals, like dogs, cats, rabbits and birds. Kolton's condition is unknown on Friday, as the house's owner took the cat to the Veterinarian Clinic for additional care.
Three dogs, eight kittens and seven cats survived the fire. One kitten is still missing.
-----
Sign up to have the latest news headlines delivered straight to your email inbox
