An Oakland firefighter used a pet oxygen mask to treat a pigeon suffering from smoke inhalation after a vehicle fire, earning thousands of views and shares

By Geoff Herbert
syracuse.com

OAKLAND, Calif. — Firefighters don’t just rescue people from burning homes or cats stuck in trees — they also carry tiny oxygen masks for birds in distress.

The Oakland Fire Department posted a video Tuesday showing a firefighter helping a pigeon after responding to a vehicle fire. The OFD said the pigeon approached the Engine 29 crew after suffering smoke inhalation from the fire, so they offered aid by administering oxygen to its beak.

In the clip that’s going viral online, the bird could be seen inhaling oxygen through a tiny mask. The pigeon flew away shortly after clearing out its lungs, the fire department said.

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The short video picked up more than 11 million views in 24 hours, as well as nearly a million “likes” on social media.

“Thank you for helping,” a pigeon rescue organization wrote on Instagram.

“This is not the first pigeon Oakland fire dept has saved - these guys are THE BEST,” another commenter said.

“If this is what the $400 from my paycheck goes to then by all means. In fact, take a little more I’ll manage,” a third wrote.

“Sources say the insurance company is finding a way to bill the bird as we speak,” another joked.

“Firefighters will always be the true heroes in my mind. This speaks more about their character and their soul than anything ever could,” a fifth comment added.

According to The Oaklandside, the incident occurred Sunday morning when Oakland Fire Engine 29 responded to a vehicle burning beneath a highway overpass on 75th Avenue in East Oakland, California. Emergency responders in the Bay Area previously helped a baby chick that fell down a storm drain while crossing Mandana Boulevard with its mama, eventually reuniting it with the mallard duck in 2023.

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