No Injuries Reported, Pet Cat Resuscitated in Fairhaven Fire

FAIRHAVEN — A cat was brought back to life and no injuries were reported following an early morning fire in Fairhaven on Saturday.

The Fairhaven Fire Department says that firefighters responded to a one-bedroom fire at a residence located at 104 Fort Street. The call came in by way of an alarm monitoring company at 12:50 a.m. reporting fire alarms sounding in the home.

Two engines initially responded to the scene until crews were met with a smoke condition in the second-floor bedroom. A call for additional help was requested, bringing a ladder truck and more personnel to the scene.

The fire was confined to the second-floor bedroom, which suffered smoke, heat and water damage. There was nobody inside the home at the time of the fire.

One family cat escaped the fire but a second one was resuscitated by Fairhaven Firefighters, who used new oxygen mask designed for pets that had been donated to the department just months prior to this incident. The cat was later transferred to a veterinary emergency room for additional care.

Although the home did have a working and monitored fire alarm system, some of the detectors on the second floor and stairway had been disabled due to recent malfunctions. The bedroom fire occurred in the same room as the out-of-service smoke detectors. The fire caused approximately $40,000 in interior damages, due mostly to smoke damage to furnishing and cloths.

The Fairhaven Fire Department is conducting an investigation into the fire and says the cause seems to smoking materials. Firefighters were on scene for approximately two hours.

There were no other injuries reported to fire personnel. The home is owned and occupied by Jeffrey Pierce.