Firefighters do amazing work for their communities. In addition to putting out fires, they save lives when citizens are in danger — whether they be human or animal.
That was the case recently, when a group of firefighters responded to a call about a fire and ended up saving the lives of several turtles.
On February 24, the Medina Fire Department, in Ohio, got a call about smoke coming from a shed. It turned out to be a barn operated by Turtle World of Medina, and the crew was informed that turtles were still inside.
The crew was able to successfully remove about ten turtles and two large tortoises from the smokey barn, the department wrote.
But once outside, the turtles were still in danger from being exposed to the smoke. Luckily, the fire crew had a solution.
“MFD carries oxygen masks that are specially designed to be used on animals and we used it to administer oxygen therapy,” the department wrote.
Photos show the turtles with their oxygen masks on:
Sadly, about half the turtles didn’t make it, though the others survived thanks to the firefighters’ efforts.
“We lost 7 tortoises that lived in the barn but 5 of the 6 aquatic turtles survived and are behaving like water turtles should,” Turtle World of Medina wrote on Facebook.
“The remaining 50+ tortoises and turtles in hibernation or in my basement are fine and are looking forward to spring.”
The barn was insulated and heated to house the turtles and tortoises, and the Medina Fire Department says they suspect one of the heating elements caused the fire. However, they did not find any wrongdoing.
“While they were stored in a large shed, the structure was fully insulated, heated, and designed to be a safe and healthy environment for the animals,” the department wrote.
“At no time did we get any impression that they were being cared for improperly, rather it was evident that they were both loved and well looked after.”
Thank you to these firefighters for saving these turtles! Share this good news!
