The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to a fire at a home with 70 dogs and cats in Martinez, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection DistrictCalifornia firefighters rescued 70 cats and dogs, mostly Pomeranians, from a house that caught fire Tuesday morning, officials said.
The blaze was first reported at 11:06 a.m. in a single-family, two-story home on Barber Lane in Martinez, a suburb about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
Firefighters were on the scene by 11:11 a.m. and started putting out flames from the blaze that had fully engulfed the attached garage and spread to the second story, Steve Hill, a spokesperson for the district told SFGATE on the phone.
The Contra Costa Fire Protection District responded to a fire at a home with 70 dogs and cats in Martinez, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Three residents self-evacuated; one of them was transported to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, Hill said.
Firefighters pulled 70 cats and dogs from the home and its premises.
“The vast majority were Pomeranians,” Hill said. “There were some other dogs mixed in there. A few cats in the mix. They were hard to inventory because they were all running around.”
The Contra Costa Fire Protection District responded to a fire at a home with 70 dogs and cats in Martinez, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection DistrictHill said the dogs belonged to a breeder who is a friend of the residents, and the animals were temporarily taken into the custody of the Contra Costa County Animal Services Department.
Animal Services Lt. Alana Weissman told the East Bay Times that the dogs’ owner was picking up the animals this afternoon.
The preliminary investigation of the fire suggested that it was started due to electrical issues, Hill said.
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