Medicine Hat firefighter Kalon Ternes with two new friends rescued from a smoking vehicle that acting Capt. Jeff Kozakwich says may have been mere minutes from going up in flames. Facebook.com/MedicineHatFirefighters
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Two dogs were rescued by Medicine Hat firefighters Sunday after the car they were in filled up with smoke due to a cigarette catching fire on fabric.
“We arrived on scene, and we could see that there was smoke coming out the windows and with dogs inside,” said acting Capt. Jeff Kozakwich, about the call that came in to the department around 5 p.m. Sunday from a passerby who observed the smoke and dogs inside the vehicle at a parking lot.
“We attempted to open the doors, but the doors were locked, we broke out the glass to make entry and pulled the dogs out.”
The cause of the fire was a cigarette mixed with a cloth that had been in between the seats. Firefighters were able to take the item out of the car to extinguish, keeping the damage to a minimum save for the broken glass.
“As soon as we pulled the item out of the vehicle, it received the air it needed and it lit up. If it had gone maybe another minute or two in the vehicle, the dogs might not have made it.”
The dogs appeared fine, said Kozakwich, and firefighters put them in the engine until bylaw responded.
The owner of the vehicle was not at the car at the time, but returned during the commotion.
Kozakwich said it’s a reminder for the public to be careful with smoking, as well as the importance of not leaving dogs in cars unattended — especially as the warmer months approach.
