Puppies rescued from encampment fire in San Bernardino

A litter of puppies is lucky to be alive after being rescued from a burning encampment in San Bernardino.

The fire ignited Thursday near East 6th Street and North Waterman Avenue at around 5:07 p.m., according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

As crews worked to quickly extinguish the blaze, they suddenly heard whimpering sounds from underneath the burning rubble.

Digging deeper, fire crews discovered six tiny puppies who were yelping and still alive amid the smoldering debris. The Chihuahua mix puppies were only four weeks old.

Authorities said a piece of a burning tent had melted during the fire and fallen on top of the litter, trapping them underneath.

Bodycam video of the rescue showed a firefighter grabbing each soot-covered pup and handing it over to another crew member. Some of the dogs were found injured with burn marks.

“The vet had to shave down and remove some of the plastic pieces and treat some of the burn injuries,” said Kris Watson, director of San Bernardino Animal Services.

One pup later died from its injuries while the rest were saved. Despite their injuries, Watson said the dogs are healthy and in good condition as they continue recovering.

The puppies’ owners later arrived at the shelter to reunite them with their worried mother.

“It’s hard when you’re homeless,” said the dogs’ owner. “We had a dispute with another campsite over some blankets during the rainstorm when [the puppies] were first born and it just really blew out of proportion and they set our camp on fire with the puppies in it.”

City officials said they’re working to find temporary foster homes to care for the pups as their owners work to rebuild and reestablish their housing situation.

Animal control officials are also working with the owners to ensure the dogs are spayed and neutered.