A firefighter in Santa Monica, California, is being praised for an extraordinary act of compassion after saving a small dog from a burning apartment. The dramatic rescue took place when crews responded to a blaze that had filled a residential building with thick smoke. Inside one of the units, 10-year-old Nalu — a Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu mix — had been overcome by the heat and fumes.
Firefighter Andrew Klein was crawling on all fours through the burning apartment when he found Nalu unconscious in a back bedroom. According to Klein, the dog was completely limp, unresponsive, and not breathing. Realizing that every second counted, he immediately carried the dog outside where his crew and the dog’s distraught owner, Crystal Lamirande, were waiting.
Lamirande, a radiology nurse, had tried desperately to reach her pet earlier but had been forced back by heavy smoke. Seeing her dog motionless, she feared the worst. But Klein refused to give up. “Failure was not an option,” he later said.
For the next 20 minutes, Klein and fellow firefighters worked tirelessly to revive Nalu. They provided oxygen and performed “mouth-to-snout” resuscitation, a lifesaving technique similar to CPR for humans. The team stayed focused, even as the minutes passed with no immediate response.
Finally, after continuous effort, Nalu began to breathe on his own. The dog slowly regained consciousness, eventually standing and walking with assistance — a moment that brought immense relief to Lamirande and the firefighters who had fought so hard to save him.
Nalu was taken to a local veterinary clinic, where he spent 24 hours in an oxygen tent to recover from smoke inhalation. He has since made a full recovery.
Lamirande said she was overwhelmed by the dedication shown by Klein and his team. “His eyes were glazed over and he was not breathing, and I assumed he was dead,” she recalled. “But the firefighter said, ‘I’m a positive person. Let’s just get him back.’”
The Santa Monica Fire Department later praised the team’s efforts in a public statement. Klein’s determination — and the successful rescue — has since been shared widely, touching people around the world.
