Cat Named Bridget Jones Gets New Home After Fatal Brooklyn Fire

BAY RIDGE, NY – A cat named Bridget Jones that survived a deadly Brooklyn fire is getting a new home Tuesday, the vet who treated her said.

The animal was rushed to the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group on Warren Street in Cobble Hill suffering from smoke inhalation and covered in soot after a blaze at 94th St., near Shore Road, at 11:30 p.m. Aug. 26, a group spokesman said. She is thought to have belonged to a 66-year-old woman killed in the fire, he said.

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"When the firefighters brought her out of the building, she looked dead," said Laura DiPaola, who lives near the building and who drove Bridget Jones to the vet.

"Her mouth was dangling open and she was covered in black soot from the fire. They immediately put a child-size oxygen mask over her face and tried to give her water."

"She is lucky to be alive," said Dr. Jillian DiFazio who treated the cat at VERG.

"Even after escaping from a fire, pets are often prone to developing infection and even pneumonia. Thankfully, Bridget has responded well to treatment and we expect her to make a full recovery."

Bridget's medical expenses are being covered by Positive Tails, a charity set up to provide help to animals in need, VERG said. The veterinarian group expected her to be released to a new owner Tuesday afternoon.

Lead image courtesy of VERG