Out of the tragedy at the Arbor Crossing Apartments with one fatality and multiple injuries, there was a glimmer of hope amid the holiday season. A pet was rescued by emergency medical personnel.
The Boise Fire Department was called to the apartment complex off of State Street Saturday afternoon. They said one person died, two adults and one child were treated on scene and another was taken to a hospital.
One firefighter also received minor injuries to his hand.
But something you don't hear too often when a pet is involved in a fire, a cat was rescued from the flames.
"It's a very scary thing... smoke inhalation like this," said Allison Maier with the Idaho Humane Society. "There are a lot of toxins in smoke."
EMT's gave the cat oxygen at the scene of the fire and eventually the pet was taken to the Idaho Humane Society for further treatments. Animal control was called to pick up the cat because officials weren't initially sure who the owners were.
The animal is in stable condition and will remain in their care until the family gets back on their feet.
"It's sort of an unusual situation for us to board animals and something we only do in extreme cases like this," Maier said. "But because the cat was already out here and we had been in touch with the owners, we're going to hold on to the cat for a little bit."
Pet fire safety tips you might want to consider include keeping your pets in their kennels near entrances so that firefighters can more easily locate them in the case of an emergency and making sure your pet microchip is registered with up-to-date contact information.
Fire rescue stickers can help put your mind at ease when you're away from home so that firefighters know to look for animals. They can be found at your local pet store or online.
