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Unattended candle blamed for igniting Salem house fire Kittens emerge from blaze

By Bruno Matarazzo Jr.
Staff writer
Published: May 5, 2008

SALEM — A cat and a litter of kittens gasped for air after firefighters brought them out of a smoke-filled home yesterday on Mason Street.

But thanks to the efforts of Northshore Ambulance personnel and a good Samaritan, many of the felines will see a new day.

Two of the six kittens died and a second adult cat is missing following a one-alarm fire at the home on 105 Mason St., that started at 4:45 p.m.

The Fire Department is blaming the fire on an unattended candle in the kitchen. The fire caused $50,000 in damage and is under investigation by Salem firefighters.

Salem fire Deputy Chief Brian Harrington was the commanding firefighter at the scene and watched as a firefighter pulled an adult cat from the home.

The cat, which was soaked by the firefighters' hose, appeared lifeless after breathing in smoke.

"I thought the cat was deceased when I looked at it," Harrington said, who later called over an emergency medical technician to get a blanket to put over the animal lying on the ground.

"As he went over to it, the lips started moving and the chest started to move and the EMT said, 'Hey, the thing's alive!' and he brought it over to a stretcher," the deputy said.

Once there, EMTs and Dan Mitchell of Lynn, who happened to be driving by, tended to the animal by giving it oxygen and monitoring its heart rate.

"I was just driving by and I happened to see the smoke," said Mitchell, who studied veterinary assistance at Essex Aggie in Danvers. "All of the skills (from Essex Aggie) went to work. I haven't used them for quite some time."

Minutes after the adult cat was brought out, one firefighter came out with two kittens, followed by a second firefighter who came out with three kittens and another one soon after.

Two kittens were dead when they were brought to a stretcher and Mitchell covered them with a blanket. Mitchell and an EMT worked on giving the surviving cats oxygen and bringing their heart rates down.

The animals were then taken away in a cat carrier. The names of the animals and their status was unavailable. One of the residents declined to speak to a reporter.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire shortly after they arrived.

The fire was in the first floor with heavy smoke inside. Firefighters broke the windows to release the heat and smoke and then began knocking down the fire.

"It was a small room, small house. I really thought we had an extension in the second floor. I was surprised (the fire) didn't get in the walls," Harrington said.

The short time it took to put out the fire is also how fast the fire took to get started. Harrington said the candle had been left unattended only briefly.

"Never leave (candles) unattended," Harrington said. "These people went out to get coffee, 15 to 20 minutes — that's all it takes."

Busy afternoon

The fire at 105 Mason St. was the second of three fires battled by Salem firefighters and personnel from surrounding communities — Beverly, Marblehead, Peabody, and Lynn — yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters knocked down a fire at the Salem Harbor Station in a boiler caused by sparks from a welder at noon. They also battled a chimney fire on Fairview Road, which was reported while Salem firefighters were at the scene of the Mason Street blaze.

Deputy Chief Brian Harrington commended all the work by firefighters yesterday.

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