WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Winter Haven Fire Department was able to extinguish a fire in which two people and multiple animals were rescued and found safe Wednesday morning.
At around 10 a.m., firefighters responded to a two-story residence that is divided into eight separate apartments with thick smoke and flames seen coming from the structure.
Firefighters began an offensive attack on the fire while also searching for anyone inside of the structure. Four people exited the apartments when law enforcement told them to come outside, Winter Haven Fire Department said in a news release.
Two people were still unaccounted for so fire crews conducted a primary search of the upstairs apartment. Firefighters found the two people asleep and removed them from the building safely, authorities say.
A resident who already exited the structure told firefighters her dog was still inside and a fire crew was able to re-enter the home, find the dog and take him to safety.
"He was shaken up, but otherwise uninjured and reunited with his family," rescuers said.
In addition to the dog rescued, once the fire was out, firefighters found another dog uninjured in the structure, a hamster inside of its play ball unharmed and a turtle safe inside its tank during a complete search.
The fire was contained to the downstairs unit, however, the entire structure has smoke damage. The Red Cross is helping the tenants who live inside the apartments.
There were no reported injuries during this fire response.
