No one was injured, but a resident and five pets were displaced after a small fire that may have been started by a cat at an apartment on the East Side on Friday afternoon, the Madison Fire Department said.
Firefighters were dispatched to the Ella Apartments at 2860 E. Washington Ave. after reports of smoke coming from a fourth-floor apartment. They entered a unit and found smoke banked down to the floor. Other firefighters knocked on doors to evacuate all fourth-floor apartments.
The responders found a fire on a kitchen stovetop and were able to extinguish it with a water can extinguisher. Nobody was home at the time. The building is equipped with automatic fire sprinklers, but the fire was small enough that it didn’t activate the system, the department said.
One cat and a dog were rescued and taken outside. An extensive search continued for four other cats. All were located, and all pets were unharmed. The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced resident, it said.
People are also reading…
One building occupant requested evaluation by paramedics due to smoke exposure but was not taken to the hospital. No other injuries were reported, it said.
Fire investigators suspect the fire may have been caused by a cat jumping onto the stovetop, which has a flat-surface touch pad to control the burners. Some items were left on the stovetop, which caught fire.
There is fire damage in the kitchen with extensive smoke damage throughout the apartment unit. Damage is estimated at approximately $25,000.
