Crews responded to a mobile home fire on Highway 441 in Okeechobee County last week. Firefighters arrived to the single-wide when the resident alerted them that there were three cats and one dog still inside.
Firefighters used a Thermal Imaging Camera, which identifies differences in temperature patterns to help them locate the pets and removed them safely.
The State Fire Marshal said unattended smoking material caused the fire.
Okeechobee County Fire Rescue Chief Ralph Franklin states that according to the United States Fire Administration, smoking is the number one cause of home fire deaths across the country. Chief Franklin suggests to extinguish smoking materials in an ashtray with a wide base, so they won’t tip over and start a fire.
