Firefighters discover parrots calling for help in burning Boise home

© KBOI/CNN
The parrots were given oxygen after being rescued from a house fire.

    

Firefighters responding to screams for assistance in a burning Idaho home said they thought they were saving people but instead rescued a group of parrots.

Emergency crews first heard the pleas for help as they approached the outside of the residence in Boise.

"What was actually recorded was them saying 'fire, fire,' " Victor Islas with the Middleton Fire Department told KBOI. "That's what we got. 'Help. Fire.' Yeah. It's a smart bird, smart bird. So there was actually nobody besides the birds inside the house."

The birds were removed and given oxygen. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Crews told reporters the parrots must have been trained to issue warnings.

In 2008, a parrot reportedly saved the life of a choking 2-year-old girl in Denver, Colo., when it began screaming the words "mama" and "baby," alerting a baby sitter.

In January of last year, a couple from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said their pet parrot saved their lives by warning them that their house was on fire.

One month later, a parrot in India reportedly helped identify its owner's killer by screeching whenever the suspect's name was mentioned.