By Yepoka Yeebo and Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Staff
SOHO — Firefighters rescued a litter of puppies — and had to resuscitate one using CPR — from a small apartment fire on Thursday in SoHo.
Sixty firefighters responded to the call at 307 Spring St., at the corner with Greenwich Street, just after 2:30 p.m., fire officials said.
Firefighter Jim Lanigan said when he entered the apartment, he found two of the puppies, and one wasn't breathing. He took them downstairs, and handed one off to a worker at Giorgione, a restaurant on the ground floor.
He then performed "normal CPR, like with a human" on the unconscious pooch, Lanigan told DNAinfo. The puppy's leg started moving, so he did it again. And then the puppy woke up.
"I've never rescued a pet before," Lanigan said. "I got a cat out of a tree once, but never anything like this."
The puppy was one of a litter of four dogs that appeared to be terriers. Parents Coco and Daisy were also rescued. Daisy, the mother, took off running after her rescue and had to be retrieved.
The dogs were left with the restaurant workers to await their owner, Alex Sanchez.
Sanchez was relieved his dogs were OK, and said he planned to go to Engine Co. 24, Ladder 5 firehouse on West Houston Street and Sixth Avenue to thank Lanigan personally.
The fire broke out in a bathroom on the third floor of the five-story brick building, according to the FDNY.
There were no injuries and the fire was out by 3:08 p.m., the FDNY said.
