Firefighters save dog in Naperville fire

Naperville firefighters saved a small dog from a smoky townhouse fire Sunday morning, reportedly giving the dog mouth-to-mouth before using a special pet-sized oxygen mask to revive it.

A fire started in the laundry room  of one of the units in the townhouse in the 900 block of West Court when clothes left near a water heater apparently caught fire, Naperville Fire Department Battalion Chief Patrick Sleik said. No one was home at the time.

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Naperville firefighters administer oxygen to revive a Shih-Tzu dog named Pepsi found unresponsive by firefighters at a townhouse fire Sunday monring.

(Courtesy of Linda Quamme Merkel)

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Naperville firefighters examine a dog they revived at a townhouse fire Sunday morning. The dog, Pepsi, was taken to an emergency veterinary center in Lisle. It is expected to live.

(Courtesy of Linda Quamme Merkel)

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A Naperville Animal Control officer prepares holds Pepsi, a dog rescued from a townhouse fire Sunday morning, The dog was taken to an energency veterinatian in Lisle where is was treated, It is expected to live.

(Courtesy of Linda Quamme Merkel)

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• Photos: Dog saved

Firefighters heard the dog barking when they arrived on the scene at about 10:06 a.m., Sleik said.

A passerby, Linda Quamme Merkel, said she saw firefighters carry the dog out and one of the firefighters start doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as his partner ran to get special equipment. She said firefighters at the scene told her they found the unresponsive dog under a sofa during a search of the home.

Sleik said firefighter/paramedics Jake Felton and Javier Saucedo used a special pet mask to give the dog oxygen. The masks are carried in the battalion car and another vehicle, Sleik said.

The dog was revived and taken to an emergency veterinary hospital in Lisle where the dog, a year-old Shih-Tzu named Pepsi, was recuperating. A veterinary employee said the dog was in good shape and expected to recover from smoke inhalation.

Damage to the townhouse unit estimated at $45,000, Sleik said, with the unit being left uninhabitable.

The unit's residents were not home at the time and will stay with a relative, he said.. A unit across from the hall from the fire location was also damaged by smoke and firefighting activities, Sleik said.

About 24 emergency personnel were on the scene along with two ambulances and five trucks, Sleik said. It took about 15 minutes to control the blaze and firefighters were on the scene for almost two hours.

A nearby water main also broke because of pressure during the fire, and Naperville public works crews were called to the scene.