Alsatian ‘back to normal’ after being rescued from fire in Dalston

Kiko is now safely back with his owner. Photograph: London Fire Brigade

An Alsatian had a lucky escape this week when he was saved from a fire in Dalston.

The dog, Kiko, was found suffering from smoke inhalation and had to be rescusitated by one of the two firefighters who went to his aid.

The brigade was called to Tyssen Street early on Tuesday morning to reports of a blaze in a 14-storey building.

Firefighters were told that banging had been heard on the fourth floor and were concerned that a person was trapped.

Temporary sub-officer Lewis Keeble recalled the moment he and a colleague went to investigate.

“Together, we forced open the door and saw it was actually a dog that was trying to escape.

“By now Kiko was really limp because of the amount of smoke that he had inhaled.

“I reached out and dragged him out of the flat and across the building to a balcony.

“It didn’t look like the dog was breathing properly so I cupped my hands around Kiko’s mouth and began blowing directly into his mouth and after a few minutes, he thankfully came round.

“He even appeared to be back to normal and he was later left safely in the care of his owner.

“I was anxious at first seeing the state that Kiko was initially in. But as a lover of dogs, I’m really pleased that I possibly saved his life and it’s a really enjoyable outcome.”

The fire was extinguished just after 10am, with crews from Islington, Stoke Newington and Homerton fire stations in attendance.

It is being treated as accidental and is believed to have been caused by a fault with an electric hob.