An update to a story that went viral in July about a Fresno firefighter who tried to rescue a kitten injured in a fire. It was all captured on his helmet camera. Tuesday, special pet oxygen masks were donated for every fire truck in Fresno.
The tender video of Fresno Firefighter Cory Kalanick trying to save the life of a kitten became a national and even international sensation. He says he only put it online to show his kids what he does at work. CBS47's news story went national and Kalanick says he's still fielding phone calls from all over.
"I'm amazingly surprised at how big this has gotten. I've gotten responses from Germany, Russia, a couple from
China. I got a couple care packages at headquarters," said Kalanick.
Sadly, the kitten Kalanick worked so hard to save, didn't make it through the night because of smoke damage to his small lungs. One positive outcome, dozens of pet oxygen masks are now going in every fire truck in Fresno.
The shape of the mask fits the longer snout of a dog or cat. Susan Disney donated several thousand dollars to the Emma Zen Foundation, which bought and distributed the masks.
"'I want 42 masks, where do I send the money?' So I got the check it in the mail and they got the masks for it!," said Disney. She was one of the many viewers, proud of our local firefighters for going the extra mile for animals.
"They're members of your family, and I know if there was a fire at my place, I would want them to rescue my cat," said Disney.
Another cool update: Kalanick made $900 off his original video. He's donating it to an animal hospital.
"With the notority from just this one video, it's gotten us new equipment on our rig and money towards a Fresno vet," said Kalanick.
The masks come in three sizes for small and large animals. The masks will be reused, so they should last a long time.