N.J. Firefighters Rescue 20 Dogs From Burning Home (VIDEO)

New Jersey firefighters rescued 20 dogs Monday with the help of lifesaving equipment that had recently been donated.

When firefighters raced into a burning apartment in Hopewell Township, N.J., they were initially overwhelmed by the number of dogs struggling to survive, ABC Action News reports.

But once the rescuers got the pooches outside, they were able to hook them up to the oxygen masks that the Humane Society had recently given to the force.

"One turned into five, turned into 20...we just kept hooking them up to the oxygen, bringing them back to life and putting them in the cage," Chris Laird of the Lawrence Road Fire Company told the news outlet.

The home's occupants survived and one puppy perished. But the miraculous rescue of 20 dogs confirmed how important it is to the firefighters to focus their lifesaving efforts on all living beings.

"We're trying to be versatile, not just humans," Kris Palmer, President of the Lawrence Road Fire Company, told ABC Action News. "I mean we save everything possible in the house including objects and people's pets."