Firefighters rescued more than two dozen pets from a smoky house fire Tuesday.
No people were injured in the fire at 356 O’Connell Drive, although some animals suffered from smoke inhalation, said Assistant Fire Chief William Perez. Two women lived in the house.
In all, 12 dogs and 14 cats were rescued, he said. A lizard also was found.
“He said every time he turned around, he pulled out another couple of cats,” Perez said of a firefighter.
The ranch-style house was severely damaged and is not habitable.
The fire was reported at 9:55 a.m., Perez said. The fire was mostly out a short time later, but smoke was still coming from the eaves at 10:30 a.m. Firefighters continued to remove animals until about 11:15 a.m.
The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen, Perez said.
Ed Ruiz, an animal control officer, took the animals to a local veterinarian. He ran out of room in his van and had to use Perez’s vehicle, Perez said.
A town ordinance limits the number of cats and dogs that may live in a house in town to 10, and that’s only if the owners have a kennel license, Ruiz said.
It wasn’t clear if the two women were going to be cited.