Firefighters were hailed as “heroes” after they rescued two cats from a house fire blaze and then treated them with oxygen to ensure they survived.
Pictures published by Runcorn Fire Station showed two crew members cradling the cats in towels with breathing masks over their faces.
Crews had been called to Leaside in Halton Brook at 3.05pm on Saturday to deal with a blaze on the ground floor of a two-storey house.
All of the human occupants were accounted for, and the two cats were taken to the vets after receiving oxygen.
Runcorn Fire Station tweeted on Sunday that the pet-friendly oxygen masks had been donated by the Smokey Paws not-for-profit group and training provided by The Willows vets.
Find the number of people vaccinated near you by entering your postcode below
An incident log published by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said four firefighters in breathing apparatus extinguished the blaze.
Two fire engines attended, one from Runcorn and the other from Widnes.
A large fan was used to clear smoke from the property and a thermal imaging camera checked for hotspots.
Crews were at the scene for around 90 minutes.
Sign up for an ECHO newsletter
An update issued on Sunday said vets had confirmed the cats were doing well.
Residents beamed with admiration on Runcorn Fire Station’s Facebook page.
One social media user said: “You are all heroes everyday. Thank you for the selfless job you all do.”
Another said: “Thank you so much to you all for saving those precious kitties’ lives. You firefighters are such amazing people and we are so lucky to have you in our lives.”
One woman said: “Well done for helping to save the cats! Heroes!”
Another said: “Fantastic job. Real heroes.”
