A Vancouver firefighter administers oxygen to a dog rescued from a house fire Friday morning. The dog was euthanized Monday morning after initially appearing to be on the road to recovery.
The brindle-colored dog firefighters rescued from a Vancouver house Friday likely had a name, but, given her morning, firefighters gave her a new one: Lucky.
Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire District 6 firefighters rescued the dog from a burning home in the Northwest neighborhood Friday morning. Firefighters also found two cats that didn’t survive the fire. The residents weren’t home at the time of the fire.
A neighbor reported seeing smoke coming from the house, 406 N.W. 53rd St., at about 10:50 a.m. When firefighters arrived five minutes later, they saw light smoke along the eaves and back window of the two-story white house, said Kevin Stromberg, spokesman for the Vancouver Fire Department.
Firefighters encountered flames on the second floor of the house. The smoke and fire had also spread to the attic, Stromberg said.
Crews fought the blaze from inside the house and had the fire under control within 10 minutes, he said.
Lucky was sitting quietly in an animal crate when firefighters stumbled upon her.
Vancouver firefighter Jere Weyrauch scooped the medium-sized dog into his arms and carried her out of the upstairs bedroom, through the smoky house and into the front yard.
Once returned to her feet, Lucky wobbled around the small tree where firefighters fastened her leash. Her light brown eyes moved rapidly as she scanned the wet grass and panted.
Weyrauch grabbed an oxygen tank and coaxed Lucky to the mask. She sat relaxed and breathed in the clean air. After a few minutes, she returned to her feet and her steps steadied. She lapped up a bowl of water delivered by another firefighter.
Clark County Animal Control was called to the scene to retrieve the dog while firefighters worked to locate the residents of the home.
Animal control later took Lucky to DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland to receive treatment, Stromberg said Friday evening.
According to county property records, the house is owned by John and Raelene Jarvis. At the corner of Northwest 53rd and Daniels streets, it is in a residential neighborhood three blocks from Franklin Elementary School.
The city fire marshal’s office estimates the fire caused $180,000 worth of damage to the house and its contents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
