Dog Rescued from Vose Avenue Blaze is Revived

The tiny dog was treated at the scene, with a child's oxygen mask bent into shape around its snout.  "We held the mask on," explained Caption Kurt Gibson of the South Orange Rescue Squad. "The dog was lifeless at first, probably traumatized."

A Sunday night Vose Avenue fire saw the rescue and treatment of a chihuahua who lived in the burning house.

As the two residents of 324 Vose left their smoky home, they brought one pet dog outdoors with them. Their second dog is believed to have run from the fire and hidden itself in the house, according to Gibson. The residents were treated at the scene for minor injuries, and the other dog was not hurt.

South Orange firefighters discovered the animal, and handed it to Gibson. Gibson, who was on the Garden State Parkway when he heard the alert, had rushed to the scene. He and other crew members treated the dog, noting that it had a burn on its cheek. It vomited on Gibson.

Once the dog revived, Gibson said its tail started wagging. At that point, the pet was handed over to South Orange Animal Control and taken to the Animal Hospital of Fairfield, which has emergency facilities.

"It was a team effort," said Gibson. "We treat people, pets, whoever needs help."