NSBFD: 3 cats rescued in New Smyrna Beach house fire

Photo for Headline Surfer / A firefighter administers oxygen to one of three cats rescued from a structure fire in a home in the 700 block of Downey Street in New Smyrna Beach on Saturday evening as shown in this courtesy photo from the City of New Smyrna Beach. Three cats in all were were rescued, two of them needing to be revived on-scene by firefighters. Nobody was home at the time.
 
By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- There's an old proverb that goes something like this: A cat has nine lives. For three it plays, for three it strays and for the last three it stays." Whether that is true was not something New Smyrna Beach firefighters took for granted in rescuing three cats from a residential structure fire over the weekend.

Here is a summary of what occurred in the 6:45 p.m. Saturday incident at 725 Dougherty St. as described by New Smyrna Beach Fire Department Lt. Mike Greene in an email to Headline Surfer:

"Fire Department units arrived within minutes and found a single story residential structure with fire visible on the front of the structure. The fire was quickly extinguished by first-due fire units. Firefighters rescued three cats from the home. Two cats suffered smoke inhalation and were revived on scene by firefighters. All three cats subsequently survived."

NSBFD Lt. Mike Greene says 3 cats were rescued from a house fire in New Smyrna Beach / HeadlineSurferHere is a summary of what occurred in the 6:45 p.m. Saturday incident at 725 Dougherty St. as described by New Smyrna Beach Fire Department Lt. Mike Greene in an email to Headline Surfer:

"Fire Department units arrived within minutes and found a single story residential structure with fire visible on the front of the structure. The fire was quickly extinguished by first-due fire units. Firefighters rescued three cats from the home. Two cats suffered smoke inhalation and were revived on scene by firefighters. All three cats subsequently survived."

Greene said nobody was home at the time of the fire. Estimated damage to the structure is estimated to be $30,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.