Neighbors and firefighters save pets from North Port house fire

Firefighters and neighbors came together to save the lives of four pets caught in a raging fire at a North Port home.

Now, the owner is saying thank you to those who saved her furry family members.

For firefighters at North Port Fire Rescue Station 81, the call of duty means saving lives no matter the number of legs or paws.

“Pets are our family, so we definitely make animals a priority,” said North Port Fire Rescue Lt. Michael Tackman.

No one is more grateful for that than Sherry Carreau, whose home was destroyed in the blaze Sunday night.

“I was like screaming, and I was trying to get in the house,” said Carreau.

She found her home in flames, with neighbors taking hammers to the windows in an attempt to get her pets out.

“I thought for sure, you know, that our animals were dead,” said Carreau.

That’s when​​ Trackman and his crew stepped in, rescuing Mia the poodle, Gigi the Australian shepherd, Josey the pug and finally Pickles the cat.

At first, they thought Pickles didn’t make it.

“She looked lifeless,” said Carreau.

But firefighters and EMTs Mark Pardo and John Huckleberry didn’t back down. They got out their oxygen supply and started breathing for pickles.

“We’ve got to keep it in right spirit. You have a job to do,” said Pardo.

“They were just working really hard on her,” said Carreau.

And after about 10 minutes that hard work paid off.

“Started moving his head, and the next thing you know, was trying to walk away, and it was completely responsive after that,” said Huckleberry.

“Fortunate for us, it was not Pickles’ time to go yet,” said Pardo.

Sherry calls them heroes.

“They treated it like a human life, you know,” said Carreau.

She agreed to meet with WINK News to express her gratitude to everyone involved.

“We’re really glad we still have our pets because they mean everything to us,” said Carreau.

Sherry said the support her family has received from the North Port community has been overwhelming.

While their home is likely a total loss, and it will be a long road to get back on their feet, she said they’ve never felt so loved by both close friends and total strangers.