When firefighters were dispatched April 15 to a residential fire in the 3100 block of Lindberg Avenue, a Lehigh County 911 Center dispatcher added in a pager voice message a pet dog was possibly trapped in the basement area of the home.

First arriving firefighters entered the home to begin fire suppression in the two-level structure. Heavy smoke was pushing from the roof area as firefighters worked to locate the area where flames were working their way up into the second level of the residence.

As additional manpower arrived to aid firefighting efforts, a Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company firefighter team was freed to search for the pet. The female chocolate lab, named Ember, was located and rescued by the firefighters. When the dog was carried from the structure by WSVFC firefighter Dev Kannan, the animal appeared limp and unresponsive.

Firefighters and ambulance personnel immediately began administering oxygen to the dog through a pet resuscitation mask. After continuing rescue efforts, the animal began to show signs of recovery.

Ambulance personnel, firefighters and family members were visibly moved when the dog was able to stand on its own. Relatives took Ember to a vet for further observation and treatment.

While firefighters were performing their serious firefighting efforts, an emotional drama was unfolding on a neighbor’s side lawn. The rescue of Ember helped to make the scene less calamitous to neighborhood observers.

Sadly for the family, two pet cats and a bird were not as fortunate as Ember. They were later found to have perished in the smoke-filled home.