Columbus firefighters rescue 2 adults, 8 cats from apartment fire

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — Firefighters in Columbus rescued two adults, three cats, and five kittens from a Wednesday morning apartment fire.

Members of the Columbus Fire Department were called just after 8 a.m. to a fire in the 800 block of Reed Street.

Shortly after arriving at the scene, firefighters learned that a man and woman were trapped in a second-floor apartment because their only exit was blocked by fire.

Fire crews extended a ladder to a second-floor window and helped the man and woman escape the apartment. Both adults were checked out at the scene and were not hurt, the fire department says.

Firefighters searched the building and found three cats and five kittens. The animals received oxygen therapy at the scene and were later reunited with their owners.

Fire damage to the apartment was extensive, according to the fire department, and water damage was visible in the unoccupied apartment on the building’s first floor.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.