South African firefighter hailed as hero after saving cat from burning building

A South African firefighter from Lakeside Fire Station has been hailed as a hero after saving a kitten  from a burning building.

The kitten who appeared to have breathed its last breath was saved by rescue workers who performed CPR on it and then brought it back to life.

The hero Grant Bougaard from Muizenberg says he would have never been able to save the tiny kitten had it not been for his colleagues.

The 34-year-old found the kitty, who looked to be about two weeks old, lying doodstil (stock-still) in the back of the burning store.

According to Grant, all he did was “give a quick blow of air” into the kitten’s mouth and when it started breathing again, he handed it over to the first rescue worker outside.

Two of the officers started pumping more oxygen into the kitty and placed an oxygen mask over its face.

“I rushed inside and found the kitten lying on the floor. I did not think about what I did. I just scooped it up and ran out with it. I did a blow (of air) and checked for a heartbeat,” he says.

“It was faint. I ran out and handed him to my colleagues Sean Evans and Genevieve Foster.

“They did resuscitation using oxygen and worked on it. I ran back into the building to work.

“When I came out, I thought it might have died, but it was wrapped snugly in a blanket in a box, ready to be moved to the vet,” Grant says happily.

The kitten was taken to a vet in Rosmead Avenue and is recovering well.

Grant says he now wants to adopt the kitten before it ends up dead or homeless.

“I’m going to adopt him as soon as they give me the go ahead,” he says.

The father of two says he still needs to break the news to his wife and children.

“I don’t think it will be a problem. We have no other pets,” he adds.

The shop was partially damaged, but no injuries were reported.