Plumbing 
Uvalde firefighter Manza Hale gives compressed air to a 5-year-old pit bull that firefighters rescued in a Jan. 9 house fire. Also pictured are firefighter Billy Foutz, who found and brought the dog from the building, and firefighter Beco Diaz. (Uvalde Leader-News photo by Pete Luna)
A family of seven lost their home in a north side house fire late Jan. 9, but Uvalde volunteer firefighters were able to rescue and revive their beloved dog.
Firefighters Billy Foutz and Manza Hale reached 5-year-old pit bull Angel who was trapped inside the 2363 Hood St. residence.
Angel, who has belonged to Kassy Medrano and Adrian Bravo’s family for about four years, was trapped inside a back room of the home when it was progressively engulfed in flames and smoke.
Firefighter Billy Foutz comforts Angel, the pit bull firefighters resuscitated after it was trapped in a house fire on Hood Street. (Uvalde Leader-News photo by Pete Luna)
Although the couple attempted to go back inside for the dog, the density of the smoke prevented them from doing so. They told firefighters that Angel was inside when they arrived on scene, and responders went in to find her.
“I couldn’t get to her without inhaling too much smoke,” Medrano said.
Foutz said he located Angel, who was lying on the floor unconscious. They brought her outside, where Hale used compressed air to resuscitate her.
“It was really rough, I didn’t think she was going to make it out,” Medrano said, noting that she thought Angel was dead when they brought her out.
Angel, like the rest of the family, is recovering from the incident but is doing all right, Medrano said.
She said she was grateful to the fire department for rescuing the family dog and hopes to put together a gift basket for them when the family regains its footing.
This is a major adjustment for the family and they’re still processing, Medrano said.
Manza Hale gives a recovering, blanketed Angel a few sips of water. (Uvalde Leader-News photo by Pete Luna)
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire; the department said they were told children on the scene were playing with matches and Bravo said it may have been an electrical issue. No further investigation was conducted, fire chief Mario Rangel said.
The other five people living in the home were the couple’s three children, Medrano’s father Eddie Medrano, and his 17-year-old son. They were able to get out of the home unharmed. Eddie Medrano was hospitalized that evening for notable smoke inhalation but was released early on Jan. 10, Bravo said.
The family had been renting the trailer, owned by Maricela Fernandez, for the better part of four years. They’re still trying to figure out a permanent living situation and are staying with family in the meantime, Bravo said.
Medrano said she planned to return to the home in the next few days to cut off utilities and see what can be salvaged. Most of their clothing was saved but smells heavily of smoke, she added.
People who wish to help the family may donate to Medrano via Cash App at $Kassymed97.
Sofi Zeman (szeman@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335) covers education and crime for the Uvalde Leader-News as a Report for America corps member. Report for America (www.reportforamerica.org) is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across the United States and its territories.
Uvalde firefighters and rescued pit bull Angel’s family members surround the 5-year-old dog as she recovers from smoke inhalation. (Uvalde Leader-News photo by Pete Luna)
Uvalde volunteer firefighters extinguish a Jan. 9 residence fire on Hood Street. (Uvalde Leader-News photo by Pete Luna)
