A firefighter in Russia became an instant social media darling after the service released footage of him resuscitating an unresponsive cat, which he had rescued from a terrible fire minutes earlier, Eurasia Diary reports citing Russia Today.

The historic building’s 35 human residents and two pets were rescued earlier this week in Tver, a city some 160km northeast of Moscow. The poor furball was seriously poisoned by smoke by the time firefighters managed to rescue it via an escape route.

Footage shows one of the responders washing the cat’s face with water from a puddle and using his airpack – the breathing apparatus used in heavy smoke – to give some air to the animal.

Luckily, the resuscitation worked and in about seven minutes the cat was conscious again, although exhausted by its ordeal. A photo taken at the scene shows it resting on someone’s sofa.

The firefighter, Andrey Meister, told local media that he and his crew had found the feline right after breaking into an apartment on the third floor of the building in search of survivors. The fire in the historic neighborhood dubbed the “Morozovs’ town” by locals happened on Tuesday.

The city’s emergency services dispatched 19 firetrucks in response to the blaze, and all residents were successfully evacuated without any casualties. The other pet rescued in the operation was a dog.