Intense video captured the moment a California man was reunited with his cat after firefighters rescued his beloved pet from a blazing house fire.
Isaac Vaizman came home Thursday to see his house on Topham Street just off Lyndley Avenue in Tarzana engulfed in flames.
He pleaded with members of the Los Angeles Fire Department to save his 14-year-old cat named Cheetah who was trapped inside.
After anxiously waiting along the fence, a firefighter heroically emerged from the burning structure and handed Cheetah to her owner who cried tears of joy as he cooled the gasping cat off with water.
‘I tried to run in and they stopped me. It’s like losing your kid. Same thing. She is my kid,’ Vaizman told NBC Los Angeles.
Isaac Vaizman fell to his knees and cooled of his panting cat Cheetah after firefighters rescued her from his burning home
Vaizman came home Thursday to see his house on Topham Street just off Lyndley Avenue in Tarzana engulfed in flames
‘After my divorce, my daughter asked me to keep [Cheetah] and I promised to do it. So I still have my cat but not my kids. The cat is alive and that’s what’s most important.’
Video of the fire showed flames roaring out of the roof and crews battling the blaze as Vaizman shouted for help.
‘My cat, my cat’s in the room, please get my cat out,’ he said.
Vaizman paced the perimeter of the 900 square foot home he had moved into earlier in July.
A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department heroically emerged from the burning structure and handed Cheetah to her owner
Vaizman said he adopted Cheetah with his daughter and he promised to look after the 14-year-old cat after he divorced from his wife
About five minutes later the firefighter handed the man his pet and he fell to his knees cradling the animal – who was panting.
After cooling Cheetah off with a plate of water brought over by a neighbor, Vaizman took the cat to an emergency veterinarian center.
Cheetah appears to be doing well and is headed back for a check up on Tuesday. Vaizman shared a video of the cat scooping out the damage to their home on Instagram.
A friend of Vaizman set up a GoFundMe in his honoring sharing that the man had just moved into the house.
Vaizman (pictured) said losing his cat would have been the same thing as losing a child and all that matters now is that Cheetah is safe
Vaizman shared a video of the cat scooping out the damage to their home and is taking her back to the veterinarian on Tuesday
‘All he cared about was for the firefighters to rescue the cat that him and his daughter adopted together. He has lost everything but the cat,’ the fundraiser said.
Cheetah connects Vaizman to his daughter who he promised he would take care of the cat after he divorced from his wife.
A team of 38 firefighters put out the flames that engulfed a room and the attic in 19 minutes.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and no injuries were reported.
