BRIEFLY

Firefighters rescued a cat from a Lido Isle house fire Saturday night.

A crew on a passing boat called 911 at 7:20 p.m. after seeing the

windows of Dave and Pat Lamb’s Via Lido Soud house blow out, said Newport

Beach Fire and Marine Capt. John Blauer. The Lambs, dining down the

street at the Lido Isle Community Clubhouse, came home to find 18

firefighters working to save their home.

The couple told firefighters that their cat was still inside the

house, Blauer said. Firefighters went into the smoke-filled building and

found the creature, giving it oxygen. The cat was taken to an undisclosed

animal hospital.

“I just want to commend the fire department,” said Carver Ford, who

was dining with the owners. “They were so instantly sensitive to the

cat.”

Ford, who lives in Newport Beach, said the Lambs were very calm and

disappointed about the fire, but mostly concerned about the health of

their cat.

The home, which had been undergoing renovations for around 11 months,

sustained about $150,000 in damages, Blauer said.

“It’s not as bad as it maybe looks,” Blauer said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. No one was reported injured in

the blaze.