PITTSBURGH --
Firefighters knocked down a large house fire in the city's Perry North neighborhood in time to save about two dozen exotic birds that were inside.
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The fire started at about 9 a.m. Thursday in the 3600 block of Perrysville Avenue. (See Map)
No injuries were reported, and nobody was believed to have been inside at the time of the fire.
Approximately 27 exotic birds in cages were removed from the home.
"Twenty-seven exotic birds ranging from small, very small to very large," said firefighter Terry Cerchiaro. "Our concern is to protect them."
Owner Donald Blosser said he will have the birds checked out but he believes they are OK.
"We have them all," said one Pittsburgh animal control officer. "We took them out of the wet rooms and that."
"Macaws, cockatiels, cockatoos, love birds," said Blosser. "I got an Amazon. I got Cenegal. I got African grays. I got one African gray. He's 35 years old. He's been through a lot. Every morning when you leave the house, he'll go, 'Goodbye. Be careful, I love you.'"
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