TAMPA, Fla. – Hillsborough County Fire Rescue saved a woman and her cat from an apartment fire Friday evening. Our Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC) took calls just after 5:46 P.M. from individuals reporting smoke coming from the next-door apartment.
The first arriving units confirmed smoke from the first-floor apartment and called a working fire. Firefighters forced entry into the residence and, despite no visibility due to heavy smoke, found a woman unconscious just a few feet inside the door.
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Crews quickly removed the woman from the toxic environment, and paramedics on the scene immediately began treatment.
Before they left the scene, she was conscious, speaking, and stable when transport was initiated. Firefighters also rescued a cat from the apartment, who was in poor condition but was resuscitated with high-flow oxygen.
Firefighters suppressed the blaze less than ten minutes after the first unit arrived. Searches were conducted, and there were no other occupants inside the apartment.
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There were no injuries to first responders. The cause of the fire has been determined to be an unattended frying pan left on the stove.
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