By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
FIREFIGHTERS have miraculously saved a small dog that was fighting for its life after being trapped inside a Doveton house fire on Sunday, but a second dog has died in the blaze.
The fireys found the surviving dog barely responsive in the front lounge room of the house during a routine search of the property.
The dog, Midnight, was administered with oxygen on-site by the fire crew, given water and warmed with a blanket until it recovered.
After being revived, Midnight was taken by neighbours to an animal hospital for treatment.
Members from the Hallam Fire Brigade were called to the Hawthorn Road residence at 11.50am on Sunday where the house was already well-alight and had fire exiting the front bedroom.
They were soon joined by members from the Dandenong Brigade who assisted in dousing the internal blaze.
Senior Station Officer and Incident Controller Michael Lia said Midnight was now in a stable condition after coming within moments of losing its life.
“The dog had really shallow breathing and was non-responsive to any touch,” Mr Lia said.
“The first internal crew had a breathing apparatus with them and were doing a search of the house for any person unaccounted for.
“Everyone had already gotten out and in that search we came across the dogs and brought out the one that showed some signs of life; they pulled that one straight out first.”
Mr Lia said the two occupants of the house were desperate to save their dogs and had to be restrained.
One male occupant was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation but is now in a stable condition.
Brigade members directly involved in the fire-fight had their gear washed and bagged as a precaution due to the age of the house.
While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, Mr Lia warned residents to be wary of electric heaters and to check their smoke alarms.
