Two dogs were resuscitated in the front yard and transported to an animal hospital for further care, Weber Fire District Battalion Chief Casey Naef told the Standard-Examiner.

All told, Naef said three dogs and two cats were safely removed from the residence. There were no civilian injuries and the cause is under investigation.

Naef said the resuscitation process for animals is almost like it is for humans and involves oxygen and CPR.

“We went through several bottles of oxygen – you can see over here on the grass – just trying to reoxygenate them and get them breathing again,” he said.

Naef said an entire crew was devoted just to the welfare of the animals while the home was still on fire.

“They spent a considerable amount of time just working on the animals themselves,” he said. “We go through and we do an all clear of the structure, trying to make sure there is nobody in there, whether it’s people or animals. We were searching for anything alive in the house. Except snakes. Just kidding. Snakes, as well, so just kidding.”

According to Naef, the fire appeared to start on the exterior of the building on the back of the house and then moved through the house.

He said the home wasn’t a major loss.

“It’s going to need definitely some repairs, but it definitely had a better ending than what we anticipated,” Naef said.

Contact Standard-Examiner editor Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.