A neighbor pounding on the door alerted a Tucson resident that her house was on fire in the 5800 block of East 18th Street, enabling her to escape safely. Two family pets, a dog and cat, passed away in the fire, with another cat still missing and one surviving the fire.
A Tucson Fire Battalion Chief was the first to arrive on scene after multiple calls were made to 9-1-1 reporting the house on fire. The carport was fully involved in flames and the fire appeared to be in the attic of the house as well. Firefighters immediately pulled hose lines to the carport area to begin extinguishing the flames while additional units entered the home to conduct a search. Multiple people on scene advised firefighters about the family pets inside the home. Firefighters found one cat during the search and attempted to resuscitate the cat with oxygen but were unsuccessful.
The fire spread into the attic of the home so a ladder crew performed an attic reset, a technique in which a nozzle with a sharp point is placed in the attic after piercing through the roof from above. This quickly extinguished the flames in the attic and the fire in the carport was extinguished as well. Firefighters continued searching for the remaining pets and found the dog during this time, also being deceased. One cat is still missing and presumed to be dead.
Nine units and twenty-three firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the fire 19 minutes after arriving. Red Cross was responding to assist the residents, a female in her 70’s, a female in her 50’s, and a male in his 50’s. Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause and origin of the fire. The heaviest damage from the fire initially appears to be in the carport area.