Puppy rescued in abandoned house fire in Fresno getting a second chance

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Appropriately named Smokey, this three-week-old pup had a rough start to life.

She was left sealed in the backpack in an abandoned home that caught fire.

"We saw a fire that was 8-10 feet inside and it looked pretty small, but it created a lot of smoke in the house, so the whole entire house was smoke to the ground," says Fresno Fire Captain Christopher Garcia.

Captain Christopher Garcia says while dousing the flames, their crew came across what they thought were the personal belongings of the person investigators now believe intentionally set the fire.

But then the bag started moving.

"The way it was moving, somebody said there might be a snake in there," Rodriguez said. "So we were cautiously trying to get it out of the bag and finally, someone turned the bag upside down and kinda shook it and out fell this beautiful little puppy."

This fire is one of 317 homeless-related fires the department has responded to this month alone, accounting for more than half of the nearly 600 fires they've seen for the month of January.

Thankfully, Smokey was pulled out just in time and after crews gave her food and water, she was turned over to the SPCA where she is thriving.

"We're going to be looking for a good home for Smokey," says CCSPCA Spokesperson Walter Salvari.

The lucky pup will stay in foster care for another five weeks when she's old enough for her second rescue, her adoption.

"We're thinking she's a shepherd pitbull mix," Salvari said. She's doing really good, very healthy dog. She's going to live a great life as long as people take care of her, of course."

If you're not ready to fully commit to being a dog mom or dad, you can volunteer through the SPCA's foster program to find out if you're ready.

For more information, visit their website.