VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. -- A family in Van Buren County is thankful for their beloved dog’s life being saved last weekafter their home caught on fire in Casco Township.
“Human life, animal life, it’s life,” says Owen Ridley, a firefighter with South Haven Area Emergency Services. “And it’s precious no matter how you look at it.”
Crews from the South Haven Area Emergency Services responded to the house fire off Baseline Road last Thursday, after a passerby noticed it and called for help.
Firefighters found Chloe the dog clinging to life inside a bathroom. She had inhaled a lot of smoke and was having difficulties breathing.
“I just would not have been able to live without her,” says Christine Marr, Chloe’s owner. “She’s my world. She’s like my kid. Thank you.”
The men who rescued Chloe used an improvised oxygen mask to breathe life back into her.
“Brings a lot of joy to my heart. I’m a dog lover. I have dogs at home. And just to see her up and full of life again is amazing.” Says Jim Lindemulder, a fire fighter with South Haven Area Emergency Services.
Since that fire, the South Haven Area Emergency Services has ordered canine and feline oxygen masks for all of their fire trucks.
Investigators believe that fire started in the living room and say it was accidential. They also say the home is salvageable.
The Marr family hopes to have their home rebuild in about five months.
