Courtesy of Cornell University

Cornell's veterinary school, where a cat injured in a fire last night was brought for treatment.

September 18, 2018

Cat Dies at Cornell Vet College After Being Rescued from Garage Fire on South Hill

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A cat died at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and a firefighter was treated for a minor injury after a Monday night blaze on South Hill.

Firefighters responded about 10 p.m. to a woman who called 911 to report that she smelled smoke and believed her garage was on fire, Ithaca Fire Lt. Thomas T. Basher Jr. said in a statement. Firefighters responded to the 1100 block of Danby Road, which runs between King and Compton roads, just south of Ithaca College.

The fire was “contained to the garage,” Basher said, and was extinguished before it reached the connected house. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

One female firefighter was taken to Cayuga Medical Center for treatment of a “minor injury,” Basher said. Basher confirmed to The Sun on Tuesday that she had been released from the medical center and was “resting at home.” None of the building’s occupants were injured.

During the effort, firefighters rescued a cat from the building and treated it with a pet oxygen resuscitation mask as they drove it to the Cornell Companion Animal Hospital, where the cat died of its injuries.

The Ithaca Fire Department received four of the mask kits in May from Invisible Fence of the Southern Tier. The department said at the time that the masks are used to treat pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation.