Posted on 12/09/2004 12:41:33 PM PST by MississippiMasterpiece
Firefighters entered a burning house Monday looking for children after a woman told them her three babies were inside.
Officials later learned she was referring to her pet cats, said Deputy Chief Randy Ogden of the Tucson Fire Department.
"We understand the importance of people's pets, and we take that into consideration," Ogden said, "but we also take into consideration the value of people's lives, and we wouldn't have committed firefighters to an intense fire situation."
The fire happened Monday evening in the 5800 block of East 19th Street, near South Craycroft Road.
Five adult residents got out safely, and one man was treated for smoke inhalation after he went back inside to look for the cats, Ogden said.
Firefighters rescued one of the three cats, he said.
The house was packed with clutter, which made the fire burn hot, even making the cooler on the roof glow red, Ogden said.
The department had the fire out in 30 minutes, he said.
The damage was estimated at $120,000, and the structure probably is a total loss, he said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday.
Thank God none of the firefighters was injured or killed!
She should be charged with something. I am not a firefighter, only a paramedic, but this makes me sick.
Crazy cat lady! Thank God she didn't get anyone killed.
Sterlize her immediately and take her out of the gene pool. What a moron. DemocRAT for sure.
People that refer to their pets as children should be locked away before they do any harm. One day they have a couple cats to fill that child-shaped void in their lives, the next their cat eaten remains are discovered by police on the floor of a house filled with 38 cats, 70 lbs. of feces, and an acrid smell.
"She should be charged with something."
I'm a volunteer firefighter/emt and she should absolutely be charged.
People should not treat their pets as humans. They are not. Most of the "problems" with dog behavior is directly do to people treating them as humans rather than dogs.
I refer to my dog as my "baby" but for crying out loud. I would NEVER risk another human's life over her.
ANIMALS ARE NOT PEOPLE...But sometimes I believe the opposite is true...grr...
[disclaimer]
I realize that the opposite of "animals are not people" is "animals are people"...but what I mean is "people are animals"...I just didn't know how to word it.
[/disclaimer]
Firefighters risk life and limb when the prospect of human life itself is at stake - even when not sure it really is human life. Too bad we don't have the same attitude when it comes to life in the womb.
I have a sickening soft spot for my pet cat, I'll call him baby and get far too cute with him for my own good. But if he was stuck in my apartment as it was burning I wouldn't send anyone after him, I'd get a new cat.
I agree. Just took our elderly dog to the vet today. $115.00 dollars to tell me she had a bladder infection, which I had already diagnosed myself! Grrrrr! Just give me the d@mn meds!
In reality, my kid has been cheaper to keep than the three dern hunting dogs that belong to DH!
Save the kid? Of course! Save the dogs? If possible. The cats, however, are on their own, LOL!
If my cats turn out not to be smart enough to save themselves then they are toast and I get new ones. I will be busy saving the computers so I can keep freeping :D
Sounds like this woman is going to be a cat hoarder someday.
being sent into a blazing home to search for "babies" when it's actually bunch of CATS that might be trapped is insane!!
I refer to dog as my kid, being a young single male she is the best companion ive ever had, my best friend calls his 2 cats his "boys" and my girlfriend calls her 2 dogs her "girls." i suppose the three of us young, productive, conservative individuals should be locked up for your sake. But none of us would risk a firefighters life for our pets, though the firefighter might have to save mine because i would go in after my dog if there was any hope.
As a new fireman our first search and rescue senario iccluded this very possibility. As a matter of fact in a smokey hot maze of house during a practice burn while looking for a baby we found a stuffed cat. Our instructor scolded us firmly for not accertaining more details about the missing subject. We were told to inquire about the number of legs of the missing "baby".
That said ,while this would have been an emotional situation, there is no excuse for these people's brains not overcomming their pituitary gland ,endangering rescue personel.
LOL!!! I love that show.
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