Woman braves fire to save her beloved birds
By Mike Santa Rita
msantarita@patuxent.com
Posted 10/23/08
(Enlarge) Mashal Rizvi, 23, of North Laurel, stands relieved and proud with her two Australian eclectus parrots that she rescued from a fire that caused a reported $250,000 in damages to her home. Rizvi saved the two birds as well as her three cockatiels. “If I hadn’t gone and got the birds they would have died because that fire spread so fast,†she said. (Photo by Don Watkins)
To her, not rushing in would have been unthinkable.
"If your kids were in the house, would you do the same thing?," she said. "The birds are my everything. They're my family."
Rizvi, 23, who is studying to be a veterinarian at Howard Community College, works as a veterinary technician at VCA North Rockville Animal Hospital in Rockville.
On Oct. 16 at about 4 p.m., she returned to her North Laurel house in the 11000 block of Birchtree Lane, where she lives with her parents and other family members. She was the only one home at the time.
Rizvi turned on the TV and caught up on "Grey's Anatomy," then started watching a movie version of "A Tale of Two Cities."
A few minutes into the movie, she heard a loud pop coming from the sunroom, next to the family room where she was watching television.
"My parrots started screaming," she said.
Rizvi ran into the sunroom and saw the air conditioning unit on fire. She grabbed the cordless phone and called 911.
The fire started spreading quickly, so she picked up a cage with two cockatiels in it and carried it outside to the deck behind the sunroom.
Rizvi ran back into the sunroom and saw the fire had spread to the carpet. She pulled two of her eclectus parrots from a large cage, which was too cumbersome to haul outside, took the birds outside and set them on top of the cockatiel cage.
Rescuing 'my baby'
She then remembered that she had one cockatiel left -- upstairs in her room.
"She's my baby," Rizvi recalled. "I ran back through the sunroom, through the foyer and up the stairs. I had to act really fast, because that fire was burning really, really fast."
Upstairs, she grabbed the bird and tucked it in her pocket. Then she headed back downstairs.
When she got downstairs, Rizvi faced a wall of smoke blocking her from going back out through the sunroom.
"There was a thick cloud of smoke," she said. "I had to duck and run out the front door. There was no way I was going to be able to go out of the sunroom. "
She made it to the front door and then tore around the back to the deck. One parrot was still on the cage, but the other was missing. She called the parrot's name and the parrot came running toward her.
"She screamed once. She gave a little yell and started running towards me," she said.
Soon after, the fire trucks arrived, she said.
"If I hadn't gone and got the birds they would have died because that fire spread so fast," she said.
Not recommended
Anna Hoffmann, a spokeswoman for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, confirmed the unusual bird rescue at the Rizvi house.
But she said it was not something the fire department recommends.
"While this had a positive outcome, it doesn't always happen that way," Hoffmann said. Her recommendation: "Notify a firefighter."
About 50 firefighters responded to the fire at about 6 p.m. and had it out by 6:24 p.m., Hoffmann said. The fire caused about $250,000 worth of damage, she added.
The house's kitchen, family room and sunroom were destroyed by the fire, and there was extensive smoke damage throughout the house, Rizvi said.
The family has moved out of the house while it is being repaired.
Rizvi's father, Jaffer Rizvi, said he knows that his daughter loves birds. Still, he has doubts about the wisdom of her actions that day.
"I don't know if it's a smart thing to do," he said.
His daughter has no such doubts.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hadn't," she said.
user comments (2)
user kaym says...
I would have done the same thing. I had a house break-in and 2 of my feathered soul-mates stolen, and I never want to know that loss in my heart again. I keep pillow cases near all of my cages in case of this type of emergency, since several of my birds are flighted. I applaud you for saving your beloved babies.
Posted 9:09 PM, 10.24.08
user norskejente says...
Ditto, I to would have done the same. I have 25 cats and I would rather die knowing I tried to save them than live knowing I did nothing. They are my family, my passion and my life. Without them I have nothing. Save my pets and let the house burn. The items in the house is just stuff, material things that for the most part can be replaced. My cats cannot be replaced and I consider their lives priceless. You are a true hero Mashal!!!!
Posted 12:56 AM, 10.28.08
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