Last Updated 6 days by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page
COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — Residents returned home to find firefighters entering their smoke-filled house, where two cats were still inside.
The Columbus Fire Department said one of the cats was deceased from smoke inhalation.
CFD said a neighbor called them to a fire on Pelican Lane, near Goeller and Tipton Lakes boulevards around 2:51 p.m. Jan. 7.
Firefighters arrived to smoke flowing from the garage and the home’s eaves.
Then the home’s residents arrived and told firefighters the two cats were inside.
A team faced high heat and heavy smoke with no visibility. They used a thermal imaging device to make their way through the home to find the area where the fire was located.
Firefighters rescued one cat and gave it oxygen. The cat is reunited with it’s family and expected to recover.
Plastic furnishing melted, wooden cabinets blistered, and smoke damage caused extensive damage to the home. The damage is estimated at over $150,000.
CFD believes the fire was starved of oxygen, which caused its growth to stall.