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Firefighters Rescue Kittens: Viral Lapel Cam Video Shows Officials Retrieving Foam-Soaked Cats

By Alap Naik Desai
Published on: 06:43 PST, May 5, 2016

Four kittens were rescued by a group of firefighters. A video from a lapel cam worn by one of the firefighters shows the heartwarming gesture and the amusing comments as they pull out the little cats has gone viral.

Firefighters proved once again that no life is too small to be rescued by pulling out four kittens from a California blaze on Monday. The heroic rescue was caught by a camera worn by one of the firefighters. It was the Turlock Fire Department that responded to a relatively minor fire outside a home. However, they were completely unaware that the woodpile they were about to extinguish protected a litter of kittens a mother cat had carefully housed.

Fortunately, the fire officials managed to rescue every single one of the cats, but they couldn’t avoid drenching them in the foam that is used to extinguish flames. Moreover, realizing the kittens weren’t out of danger yet, the firefighters rinsed the felines clean and even dried them. The officials even managed to reunite the kittens with their mother, who returned to the scene while the crew was cleaning up, reported WSPA 7 News.

The small fire had accidentally started outside a home in the early morning hours on Monday. Since the blaze was a very small one, a handful of firefighters quickly extinguished the same. However, they weren’t aware that a cat and her brood of four kittens had made the wood pile their home. Hence, the firefighters were surprised to see two kittens trapped under the partially burnt stack of wood. As they were finishing up the up in the area, firefighters stumbled across four feline survivors, reported KCCI.

The young felines were completely soaked with foam that firefighters use. The foam is essentially a mixture of high viscosity foaming agent that is rapidly mixed with water at the tip of the nozzle. As the foam erupts from the nozzle, it covers the area under fire. The foam isn’t toxic, and it has been designed to prevent the burning embers from sucking in more oxygen. Since the foam breaks contact with oxygen, the material that’s ablaze cannot continue burning. The foam doesn’t suffocate humans, or in this case, cats, but it definitely makes them super-sticky.

Realizing neither the kittens nor their mother would be able to clean the sticky mess, one of the firefighters is seen lifting two kittens and saying, “Hey chief, I found two victims.”

The Turlock Fire Department later said in a Facebook post, “Firefighters rinsed, dried and reunited the kittens with their mother, who returned to the scene while crews were cleaning up.”

https://www.facebook.com/TurlockFireDepartment/videos/587292604780518/

The firefighters even soothed the frightened kittens. The officials cleaned the kittens with a bottle of water.

While cleaning the sticky foam off of one of the cats, an officer is heard saying, “I know it’s cold buddy. It’s OK, I got to get this foam off of you.”

The firefighters knew the kittens would be okay after one of them let out a weak meow. One of the officers later discovered two more cowering in the long-extinguished woodpile. The entire litter is said to be doing fine. The incident was captured on a camera that was attached to the lapel of one of the firefighters. The video gives a clear idea how swiftly firefighters have to work and how bravely they risk their lives.

Firefighters are known to risk their lives for pets or animals that the victims they rush to rescue might own. The department is acutely aware of the importance of a life, be it human or otherwise. However, they seem to have a special fondness for cats, big and small. This isn’t the first time firefighters have rescued multiple cats.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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