'Batman' resuscitates cat he saved from burning building

In Milton, West Virginia over the weekend, a former fire-fighter dressed as DC's Batman entered a burning building and saved a cat's life.

"We were at the American Legion doing an event for the vets and the children in the community," John "Batman" Buckland told a reporter for the Associated Press. "The vets came over, said they saw some smoke, thought it was trash."

Buckland first ordered his friend, Troy Marcum -- who was dressed as Marvel's "Captain America" -- to vent the burning by throwing a large rock through the front window. He then entered the house.

"I don't care what it is. I don't care if it's a Chia pet. It's coming out," Buckland said. "So I grab it, run out the door with it, put it in the yard. I'll be if it wasn't a cat."

The cat had inhaled smoke and wasn't breathing, so "Batman" began to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When the cat came to, Buckland said, it "freaked out."

The house's owners weren't home at the time of the fire, which fire officials believe was caused by electrical problems.

The man in the Batman costume, John Mark Buckland, is also a victims' rights advocate who helped force the Boy Scouts to open their files "ineligible volunteer" files, many of which documented allegations of sexual abuse.

Updated at 11:42 to reflect that Buckland is a survivor of a child sex abuse scandal.

Watch the Associated Press's interview with "Batman" below.