IRVINGTON — This time, it looks like man was dog's best friend.

Trapped in a dog crate on the third floor of a Hillside Terrace home, a three-year-old Maltese named Max was clinging to life when Irvington firefighters found him as they battled a one-alarm blaze Tuesday morning. The poor pooch was unconscious, his eyes rolled back into his head and his tongue slack and hanging out the side of his mouth, Deputy Chief Matt Hibbett said.

But a crew of firefighters quickly performed CPR, executing chest compressions and placing oxygen mask over the tiny dog, buying Max enough time to get to the Chancellor Animal Hospital in Irvington, according to Hibbett.

"What the firefighters did at the scene probably saved the dog’s life," said Evelyn Soto, a 31-year-old veterinary assistant who treated Max Tuesday.

Soto said the Maltese’s snow white coat was covered in grey soot when he was brought in Tuesday morning, suffering from severe smoke inhalation. But by 1 p.m., Max was awake and alert, shaking as he cuddled in the arms of his owner, 26-year-old Emmanuela Audige.

"I just want to say thank you so much to the firefighters," Audige said Tuesday. "We’re just glad we didn’t lose anyone. A house? You can always buy a new house."

It’s unclear what led to the fire, but Hibbett said the fire and smoke were billowing from the home’s second floor when he arrived on the scene at 10:35 a.m. Audige’s father was home at the time of the incident, but he ran out of the building when he noticed the smoke, leaving Max trapped on the third floor, Emmanuela said.

Firefighters gained control of the blaze in less than five minutes, according to Hibbett. They found Max a short time later and immediately carried him outside where they performed CPR.

One firefighter sustained a severely sprained knee when a staircase collapsed, Hibbett said, but he was treated for non-life threatening injuries at University Hospital in Newark. The house suffered smoke and water damage to its first and second floors, Hibbett said.

Just an hour after his brush with death, officials said Max was bounding up and down at the veterinarian’s office.

"By the time we got him back to the hospital, the little guy was up and running around," he said.

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