While luck wasn’t on Lucky the kitten's side, the tiny feline has been immortalized, thanks to a viral video.
Last month, a Fresno firefighter spotted the apparently lifeless Lucky on the floor of a burning apartment, and his helmet-cam captured him tenderly reviving the kitten with an oxygen mask, water, and a gentle massage. Since the owners weren’t around at the time, Lucky was taken to the local SPCA, according to KSEE24 News. Unfortunately, the kitten died later that night.
The firefighter’s helmet-cam video was reimagined as a dramatic movie trailer named "The Rescue," complete with a an edge of-your-seat soundtrack. Since its June 15 posting, the video has racked up more than 340,000 views on YouTube.
Though Lucky didn’t survive, Beth Caffrey, spokeswoman for the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told KSEE 24 News she applauded the firefighter’s efforts. "We are very fortunate to have such compassionate people,” she said.
And thanks to some good Samaritans, the Fresno fire department got donations of animal oxygen masks, the department’s spokesman told the Fresno Bee, though it was unclear what role the kitten’s rescue may have played in that.