One pet died and two firefighters were hospitalized in a house fire in the Belford section of town Thursday, according to the township fire department.
Belford Engine Co. Capt. Matthew McCrady spotted smoke issuing from a Main Street building "from a distance" and "ran over to investigate and simultaneously requested dispatch of the appropriate stations," according to a prepared statement from Dennis Fowler, a spokesman for the Middletown Township Fire Department.
McCrady "reported heavy fire showing from the second floor kitchen area," Fowler said. As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, they found three pets, Fowler said.
The "fire department utilized pet resuscitation equipment donated earlier in the year by The Canine Company," Fowler said. Two of the pets recovered, but the third "did not survive."