Firefighters Rescue Blueberry the Beagle from House Fire

Blueberry is tougher than his name makes him sound.

The elderly beagle mix borrowed some of the nine lives of his cat housemate on Monday to survive a house fire while the pets’ humans were away from home.

Prince George’s County firefighters were called to Blueberry’s house about 11:15 a.m. Monday. A neighbor called 911 to report smoke was coming from the attic of the home in the 4900 block of 78th Avenue in Landover Hills. Firefighters from the Landover Hills Fire/EMS Station 830 quickly extinguished a fire in the kitchen.

While the residents weren’t at home at the time, firefighters found Blueberry and a cat inside the house. The cat appeared uninjured once it was out in fresh air and was given to a neighbor for safekeeping, fire officials said.

But the family dog, Blueberry, suffered from burns and smoke inhalation. A smaller dog escaped when firefighters entered the home and is being searched for in the community.

After 15 minutes of receiving oxygen from frefighter/medics, Blueberry showed no signs of improvement and he was taken to a nearby veterinarian hospital on Annapolis Road in Lanham. Veterinarians immediately started to work with Blueberry, who it turns out, is a regular patient at the facility.

The fire caused an estimated $5,000 in fire damage. Blueberry is expected to make a full recovery thanks to the fast actions of personnel getting him to the appropriate facility, say authorities.

“It’s hard enough learning that your home sustained some fire damage, however, there is a huge sense of relief to learn that your family member pets are all OK,” says fire department spokesman Mark Brady.

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department has partnered with the Anne Arundel County SPCA to set up the Sparky Fire Fund. When an injured pet in a home fire requires immediate vet care -- and the owner cannot be found or does not have the resources to pay for vet care -- then the “Sparky Fire Fund” assists in paying a portion of the bills.

Anyone interested in donating to the fund may do so by clicking here. Be sure you designate the Sparky Fire Fund. The fund was not needed in Blueberry’s case, authorities say.

»Photos of Blueberry the beagle being treated by veterinarians by Andrew Pantelis, IAFF Local 1619 president, via Mark Brady