Two pit bulls are recovering this evening after Hoover firefighters pulled them unconscious from a burning apartment Friday afternoon.

Hoover firefighters responded to an afternoon blaze at The Willows apartments on Lorna Road. When they arrived on the scene, they learned from the owners that the two dogs were still inside the unit and rushed in to rescue them, said Hoover fire Capt. David Hambright.

The firefighters found the pit bulls inside their crates. They pulled them out and carried them from the smoke-filled apartment to safety via a window. "They were limp,'' Hambright said.

Rescue workers then had to use their pet resuscitators to revive the canines. The kits have special cup-shaped masks that fit animals' muzzles more tightly than oxygen masks made for people.

"We got them back,'' Hambright said, "and got them to a local vet."

Hoover Animal Control transported the pups to the veterinary clinic.

The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association do not keep statistics on pet fatalities from residential fires, but animal advocates estimate thousands die each year.

Hambright said they don't often have to use the pet resuscitators, but always have them on hand. "Fortunately there were no humans inside,'' he said, "but pets are like family members to a lot of people."