Firefighters save service dog from burning home in Cape Breton

Crews saved a dog from a house fire in Cape Breton.

Firefighters saved a service dog from a burning house in North Sydney, N.S., on Monday afternoon.

Lloyd MacIntosh, fire chief for North Sydney Fire and Rescue, said they responded to the reported house fire near the corner of Peppett and Pleasant streets around 2:40 p.m. They learned a woman who was home at the time was able to escape without injury.

MacIntosh said the fire crews entered the building and found a service dog.

“The dog made himself aware to us, actually,” MacIntosh said. “He poked a hole in the wall on the third floor and stuck his head out.”

The animal weighed roughly 70 pounds so they brought it down the apartment steps instead of using the ladder.

“He was a service animal who was a very important animal to the person that owned him, and that alone is worth it,” said MacIntosh.

Area resident Doug Ivey took drone footage of the fire. He says it’s hard to believe the dog was able to survive a fire that reduced the floor it was trapped on to charred rubble.

“It looked really bad,” said Ivey. “You can’t imagine how much the heat, the smoke, and just the sheer panic of what to do, like, what was going through the dog’s mind at the time? It’s hard to believe.”

MacIntosh said a cat was also in the building and unfortunately it died.

One firefighter was injured at the scene and their status is unconfirmed.

The Fire Marshal’s Office will be investigating the fire.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page