Family cats wake owner during Ronan house fire

There were no injuries to people following a house fire in Ronan last week.

Ronan Fire Chief Mark Clary said that cause of the structure fire in the 300 block of Third Avenue Southeast on Wednesday, Aug. 1, is uknown. But the resident has two friends to thank for her safety: her cats.

“The homeowner was asleep when the cats woke her up,” he started, adding that when she opened the bedroom door, the house was full of smoke.

The woman got out of the house safetly, but firefighters entered the house, extinguished the fire and took the cats outside where first responders treated them for smoke inhalation.

Clary said that the fire appears to have been electrical, and the house sustained smoke and water damage but is otherwise “structurally sound.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the two cats were doing well at a local veterinary clinic, Clary confirmed.

First responders cleared the scene at about 5 p.m.

Assisting the Ronan Fire Department were Ronan Police and Ronan Ambulance.