Blaze at Provo home kills more than 20 cats

PROVO — Fire ripped through a Provo home Sunday afternoon, killing more than 20 cats inside.

The fire started just before noon at a home near 150 E. 300 South. Smoke detectors alerted the woman who lived in the home, said Provo fire Capt. Lynn Schofield. The woman called 911 and escaped the home without injuries, he said. Firefighters extinguished the flames in about 10 minutes.

Inside the house, firefighters found 21 dead cats, Schofield said. Four kittens were transported to a veterinary clinic and later euthanized because of smoke inhalation, he said. Fire officials said three cats were rescued from the home and as many as eight others might have escaped.

Provo animal control officers had been working with the woman to lower the number of cats in her home, Schofield said.

Investigators had not determined the cause of the fire Sunday evening. Flames damaged most of the home's first floor, causing more than $110,000 in damage, Schofield said.