Haunting footage shows the moment a California man is reunited with his cat after firefighters rescue his beloved pet from a raging house fire.
When Isaac Vaizman returned home Thursday, he found his house on Topham Street, just off Lyndley Avenue in Tarzana, engulfed in flames.
He begged the Los Angeles Fire Department to rescue his 14-year-old cat Cheetah, who was trapped in the vehicle.
After anxiously waiting by the fence, a firefighter heroically emerged from the burning structure and handed Cheetah to her owner, who howled with joy as he cooled the panting cat down with water.
“I tried to run inside and they stopped me. It’s like losing your child. Same thing. She’s my child,” Vaizman said NBC Los Angeles.
Isaac Vaizman dropped to his knees and cooled off his panting cat Cheetah after firefighters rescued her from his burning home
Vaizman came home Thursday to find his house on Topham Street, just off Lyndley Avenue in Tarzana, engulfed in flames
‘After my divorce, my daughter asked me to [Cheetah] and I promised to do it. So I still have my cat, but not my children. The cat is alive and that’s the most important thing.’
Video footage of the fire shows flames shooting from the roof and firefighters battling the fire as Vaizman shouts for help.
“My cat, my cat is in the room, please get my cat out,” he said.
Vaizman walked around the 900-square-foot (83-square-meter) home he moved into in early July.
A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department heroically emerged from the burning building and handed Cheetah to her owner
Vaizman said he adopted Cheetah along with his daughter and promised to take care of the 14-year-old cat after he separated from his wife
About five minutes later, the firefighter handed his pet to the man, who dropped to his knees and held the panting animal.
After cooling Cheetah down with a bowl of water brought by a neighbor, Vaizman took the cat to an emergency veterinarian.
Cheetah appears to be doing well and is due back for a check-up on Tuesday. Vaizman shared a video on Instagram of the cat cleaning up the damage to their home.
A friend of Vaizman has a GoFundMe in which he honorably told that the man had just moved into the house.
Vaizman (pictured) said losing his cat would have been like losing a child and that all that matters now is that Cheetah is safe.
Vaizman shared a video of the cat cleaning up the damage to their home and took her back to the vet on Tuesday
“All he cared about was that the firefighters would save the cat that he and his daughter had adopted together. He lost everything except the cat,” the fundraiser said.
Cheetah connects Vaizman with his daughter, to whom he has promised that he will take care of the cat after he divorces his wife.
A team of 38 firefighters extinguished the flames that destroyed a room and the attic in 19 minutes.
The cause of the fire is under investigation; no injuries were reported.