Susan Tallant
Corpus Christi Caller Times
 AP Photo/Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Rachel Denny Clow Captain John Leahey examines one of two kittens rescued. |
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Three kittens were rescued from a burning house in the 1200 block of Alameda Street Monday afternoon shortly before 1 p.m.
Arson investigators were called to the fire and nobody was injured other than one of the three kittens, who suffered from singed fur and a blistered paw pad.
The fire was called in by two paramedics after they were flagged down by a pedestrian who pointed out the smoke.
“We pulled over, my partner gabbed a fire extinguisher and ran up to the door,” Elizabeth Rubey, emergency technician said.
Rubey’s partner, emergency medical technician Jacob Funk, said after realizing the house was on fire, he quickly knocked on doors to warn neighbors in the four-plex.
“I did a blind sweep with the fire extinguisher, that’s all I could do,” Funk said. “All I could see was smoke and orange (flames).”
Funk was quickly relieved by the firefighters, who arrived on scene within three to four minutes of the call.
“It was a relatively quick attack,” said Corpus Christi Fire Capt. Jim Devisser. “We had it put out in one minute.”
Capt. Mark Wagner, investigator for the Corpus Christi Fire Department, said the actual cause of the fire was from the stove but there are suspicious circumstances because neighbors across the street reported seeing a man coming and going at the time of the fire.
“Until we (finish) talking to occupants, we don’t know if (the person came in to the house) with or without permission,” Wagner said.
There was no structural damage, but the fire caused several thousand dollars worth of content damage, Wagner said.
Animal control was called to the scene, but all three kittens were released after their owner arrived.
“We found this one inside,” Capt. John Leahey said, while carrying the kitten out of an emergency vehicle. “Hopefully its injuries are only about as bad as a bad sunburn.”
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