Two mid-town Savannah residents were displaced from their home today after fire erupted in a back bedroom of the house.

 Savannah firefighters were sent to 615 W. 40^th St. about 12:10 p.m. when smoke was seen coming from the residence. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames within a few minutes, limiting fire damage to the affected bedroom. The remainder of the one-story house sustained smoke and water damage. The residents were able to safely evacuate the residence prior to the firefighters’ arrival. SFES investigators say evidence at the scene points to the possible misuse of an extension cord as the probable cause of the fire.

 Although there were no injuries during the incident, the family’s pet dog had succumbed to the smoke. Firefighters say the animal was unresponsive when they brought it out of the house but they were able to resuscitate it with the use of a pet oxygen mask. Each of the department’s primary response vehicles is equipped with the masks, which were donated to Savannah Fire & Emergency Services by the Greater Savannah Area Veterinary Medical Association (GSAVMA).

 The deliberate design of the pet oxygen masks enables the equipment to be used on dogs, cats, ferrets and many other species. This is especially beneficial because the breathing apparatus firefighters use (SCBA) is not designed to fit the anatomy of animals and cannot be adapted for that use in an emergency without an extreme loss of effectiveness in delivering clear air to an animal. The special shape of the mask enabled firefighters to successfully care for the dog at the scene.

 GSAVMA members donated the kits to the department last August. Each kit contains three different sizes of masks and tubing that can be attached to oxygen tanks carried on firefighting vehicles.

 Master Firefighter Frank Ptacin uses a pet oxygen mask to resuscitate a family pet Wednesday at a house fire on W. 40^th St. (Photo by Captain Scot Howard)