‘I thought she was dead’: Firefighters battling Salem blaze find chihuahua hiding in closet

Firefighters were able to save a tiny chihuahua that was hiding in a closet as they worked to knock down a two-alarm blaze that broke out at a home in Salem on Tuesday morning.

Crews responding to a multi-family home on Bridge Street just before 10:30 a.m. were greeted by raging flames and thick smoke, according to fire officials.

Before firefighters arrived at the scene, officials say a good Samaritan spotted the fire, ran inside, and started banging on doors in an effort to alert residents.

Everyone inside was able to safely escape the fire, including Rose Lopez and her daughter, but their 7-year-old dog, Teacup, was unaccounted for for about 90 minutes.

Firefighters later found Teacup unharmed in a second-floor closet and escorted her out to Lopez.

“She’s my life, besides my kids,” an emotional Lopez told 7NEWS. “She was hiding in a closet. “I thought she was dead.”

The fire, which was quickly knocked down, caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.

The Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced.

An investigation is underway.

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