Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Hong Kong firefighters saved 50 people and seven cats after a flat in a New Territories building caught fire.
According to police, a kitchen extractor hood caught fire and the blaze spread. The fire was put out at around 2pm on March 3.
At least four of the cats inhaled smoke from the fire, and three were found unconscious. Pictures posted online showed two cats lying on trays as firefighters used the oxygen masks to help them breathe.
“They were not pet oxygen masks,” a Fire Services Department spokeswoman said. “The officers at the scene used those for humans or children to try to revive the cats.”
Officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) were also called to help treat the animals.
A spokesman from the SPCA said: “The firefighters provided immediate medical aid including oxygen administration and chest compression [to the cats].”
Two cats also fell from a height. Both were conscious, but one had a broken bone.
The SPCA spokesman said the cats’ owners allowed inspectors to take the seven animals for further treatment and examination at the organisation’s Tsing Yi Centre.
Quiz time
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What caused the fire in the flat?
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What injuries did the cats sustain?
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What aspect of the oxygen masks may have made it challenging for firefighters to use them on the cats?
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What happened to the humans who were in the building that caught fire?
Sample answers
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A kitchen extractor hood started the fire.
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Three of the cats were found unconscious, and one broke a bone.
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The oxygen masks were meant for humans and children, not pets.
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The 50 people left the building and did not get any injuries.
