Special oxygen masks save family's #cats

FOX 13 News

Mar 27, 2015

By: Kim Kuizon, FOX 13 New

 

Smoke and flames filled a Manatee county duplex Thursday afternoon.
The family living inside struggled to breathe as they escaped.
The fire destroyed nearly everything they owned.
Their most prized possessions -- two cats and a litter of kittens -- also escaped thanks to the quick action of firefighters.
Lenny LeBel and Tiffany Fasoldt don't have much left."I teared up. I cried bringing things out. I mean, everything is gone," Lenny says.
A grease fire quickly spread through their Bradenton home Thursday around 5pm.
"I can't go anywhere without smelling the fumes, the fire. I can't sleep," Tiffany says.
What they do have, they are thankful for. The family escaped unharmed, but their cats barely made it out alive.
"She ran back in, and by the time they said they got her out, she wasn't breathing," LeBel said.
Fasoldt and firefighters with Southern Manatee Fire Rescue managed to get the cats out.
"When they first came out, both of them were very lethargic. They couldn't lift their heads. They were pretty limitless and lifeless," said firefighter Duane Ely.
Firefighters used special oxygen masks designed for pets to help them.
"Once we got the oxygen to them, after about five to ten minutes, they started coming through. They sat up," Ely said.
The oxygen masks were donated as a part of "Project Breathe," during a ceremony just three hours before the fire.
"It is just one more added tool in our tool box that we can use to save lives," said Battalion Chief Herb Smith.
That is what it is all about for the firefighters.
"Bottom line is, you can replace material possessions, but of course human life and pets are sacred to most people," said Battalion Chief Smith.
Lenny and Tiffany couldn't agree more.
"It just meant a lot to me that the fire department even did that because they are just animals, but to us they are just like family. That is all we really got," Lenny said.

A page has been set up for people wanting to help LeBel and Fasoldt: http://www.gofundme.com/q3jfuc


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