A resident escaped without injury from a house fire in Santa Barbara on Thursday, but three cats inside the structure perished, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
The fire was reported shortly after 6 a.m. on the 1000 block of East De la Guerra Street, Battalion Chief Robert Mercado told Noozhawk.
Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke and flames pouring from the single-story, single-family residence, and went to work dousing the blaze, Mercado said.
A woman who was inside the home was able to flee the flames, but five cats were reported to still be inside.
Crews searched the structure and located the cats. One was found dead, and two others passed away despite firefighters’ attempts to resuscitate them, Mercado said.
Two other cats survived the ordeal.
Mercado estimated damage to the structure at $40,000.
The blaze may have been sparked by an electrical problem, Mercado said, but the cause remained under investigation.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
