Times staff
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
TAMPA — Firefighters rescued Snowball and Pudge the cats from inside a smoky West Tampa house and doused the fire within about 20 minutes, authorities said Wednesday.
Shortly after noon, Tampa Fire Rescue sent units to a report of fire at 3219 W St. John St. Crews saw smoke and flames toward the back of the house.
As crews fought the fire, they located and rescued the two cats trapped in the house -— Pudge, a Siamese, and Snowball, a white mixed breed.
Firefighters said that a tenant, Nicholas Purpura, 22, had heard pops and saw a storage room attached to the house on fire. He alerted other tenants, Matthew Jaspers, 25, and Ben Parry, 22.
Jaspers grabbed his Chihuahua named Murloc, and Parry rescued a Great Dane named Apollo, Fire Rescue said.
But neither knew the whereabouts of the cats, which belonged to Parry.
Fire Rescue said that Capt. Susan Truitt and firefighter Nicholas Rode from Westshore Engine Company 8 were able to locate and save the cats.
The Tampa Fire Marshals Office determined the fire started from an electrical short in the storage room, firefighters aid.
Fire crews saved about half the house, but losses were estimated to be about $70,000.