Pets die in Richland apartment fire

Sunlee Johnson didn't expect to save a dog's life on his birthday.

His girlfriend was making him french toast on Saturday afternoon, when they started smelling smoke.

"We looked around the apartment, there was nothing on that shouldn't have been on," Johnson said. "She opened up under the sink and that's when we saw smoke and realized it was coming from downstairs."

Johnson and other neighbors at the River Park Apartments at 1875 Fowler St. started investigating, and realized the smoke was coming from a downstairs unit.

"I could see the glass door covered with smoke, and I heard the dog breathing," Johnson said. "I opened the door and called for the dog and got him out. I went back in and found the cat, and tried to go back for the other dog, but the smoke was too thick and too black."

One of the dogs was pulled from the unit a few minutes later, but had already perished. The cat was still breathing when it was rescued, but it passed away in a neighbor's arms a short time later. A second dog, named Kylo, was suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, but was still breathing. Fire fighters administered oxygen, and after about a half hour Kylo was up and walking around again.

The couple that lives in the apartment wasn't home, but arrived a short time later once Richland Police officers contacted them by phone.

Fire officials at the scene say the fire appears to have started in the stove area, and the fire damage was limited to the one unit.

The apartment's manager provided an empty apartment unit in the complex for the displaced couple to use.