18 cats reported dead in Berlin fire

BERLIN, Conn. (AP) — Berlin officials say 18 cats died in an early morning house fire and several other pets were rescued.

Firefighters were called to Smokey Hill Road at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. The garage and part of the home were on fire.

One cat cries through a cage after he survived a fire many of his litter mates did not.

"It's an extraordinary large amount of animals to be in a house. It's too bad," said Jan Lund, Berlin Animal Control.

Lund says in all 18 cats died and a few parakeets.

"It's tough, they don't know how to get out. They panic and they hide instead of trying to get out, you know, it's tough," said Lund.

The commotion woke up neighbors. Walking his new dog, John Scheyd says he woke up to sirens around 3 this morning and looked out his window.

"I definitely saw flames shooting 5 six feet over the trees so I guess there was a pretty big fire," said Scheyd.

"I pulled up and our guys were giving oxygen to the pets and whatever they can do to make them confortable, blankets," said Berlin Deputy Fire Marshal Matt Odishoo.

He says it may have started in the mud room. The homeowner heard a noise, got out, and a neighbor called 911.

Crews rescued these 7 cats and a dog.

"You'll see 3 or 4 firemen around a cat trying to give him oxygen, we've tried CPR on pets so they do play a high priority in our job," said Deputy Odishoo.

We spoke to the homeowner who did not want to talk on camera.

She says this day has been very difficult.

"She was just an animal lover and they all seem in pretty good shape in the way they were treated. She was just devastated by the loss of the animals," said Deputy Odishoo.

With a destroyed home, the survivors are at animal control.

The only injury any of them sustained was soot on their paws and one little guy had his fur singed, but luckily it didn't get his skin.

"It's a good feeling to know some survived, it's bittersweet kind of, you know," said Lund.