A 3-year-old Great Dane that Honolulu firefighters rescued from a burning home in Kapahulu on Friday has died from extensive injuries sustained in the blaze.
The fire occurred at a house at 3515 Alohea Ave. at about 9:45 a.m.
A male resident who was home at the time safely escaped with his cat after a man in the neighborhood alerted him to the fire.
Firefighters found Scooby inside the main unit. The 140- to 150-pound dog was unresponsive until firefighters revived him after administering oxygen.
His owner, Robert Kalkman, said Scooby walked on his own into the emergency room at the VERC (Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center) animal hospital in Honolulu.
“But after he got there, the effects of the smoke overcame his heart. He made it through the first night but the next afternoon, he died,” Kalkman said as he broke down and cried.
Scooby also suffered severe burns to 75% of his body as well as injuries to his upper airways.
Kalkman described Scooby as his best friend. “People just fell in love with him wherever we went … he brought so much joy to people.”
Kalkman was helping a friend pick up a rental truck in Kakaako at the time of the fire when he received a call from his landlord that the house just burned down. “All I could think about was Scooby was in the house. My boy was in the house,” he said.
The Honolulu Fire Department said the cause of the fire was classified as undetermined. “According to the fire investigator on this incident, there were too many electrical variables to pinpoint a definitive cause,” said spokeswoman Louise McCoy in an emailed statement.
Three men and two women who lived in separate rental units in the home were displaced. Damage was estimated at $270,000 to the structure and its contents.
Dr. Tarin Ortiz, an emergency veterinarian at VERC, created a GoFundMe account Friday to help with Scooby’s recovery.
HELP WITH BILLS
A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist Robert Kalkman with Scooby’s medical bills. Donations can be made at:
808ne.ws/scooby
