The Los Angeles City Council presented a commendation on the council floor recognizing members of Battalion 13, Task Force 66 and Rescue Ambulance 866 for rescuing and resuscitating puppies and other animals from a strip-mall fire on Sept. 29 in Hyde Park.

Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski described the response and read a narrative summary to the council, saying 14 companies of firefighters, a battalion command team and two rescue ambulances responded to the greater-alarm fire at 6823 South Western Avenue, where flames and smoke engulfed a furniture manufacturer and spread into an adjacent pet store. "The higher they were off the ground, the less their chance of survival was, because of rising smoke," Miscikowski said, noting that firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze and rescue several small pets and about a dozen puppies, some of which were resuscitated on scene.

William Thomas, the owner of some of the rescued animals, thanked the firefighters from the podium: "I'm just glad that, you know, they was there to rescue a few of my puppies." Battalion Chief Mike Little, speaking for the department, said the recognition honored both the technical response and the care shown by first responders: "We're privileged we have the opportunity to be present and, to rescue, the pups in this case."

The council recorded the commendatory resolutions under the meeting's routine approvals. The presentation included named members of Engine 66 and Rescue Ambulance 866 who were on duty for the response.

The resolution and the on-floor recognition underscore the department's role in emergency response that extends beyond human rescue to animal welfare in commercial fires, and documented the council's formal thanks to those crews.