We thought she didn’t make it. When the call came, the warehouse was already burning. Duffield—helmet #31, quiet but reliable—was first through the smoke. Minutes later, he reappeared, coughing and covered in soot… holding a tiny, scared kitten.
She was burned but alive.
He wrapped her in a towel and stayed with her, saying, “She’s had enough new faces today.”
That night, she curled up in his helmet. By morning, she was on his shoulder like she belonged.
She’s been with us ever since—nibbling his lunch, napping in his locker, always by his side during calls.
She only purrs in his arms, and there’s a dark smudge on her paw—a permanent reminder of the fire.
Duffield lost his daughter Lily in a fire years ago. He named the kitten Ember, saying, “She’s a fighter, like Lily would’ve been.”
When a family got trapped in a fire, Ember growled and dug into his shoulder. He knew something was wrong.
He found the family hiding inside and brought them all out safely.
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