Santa Monica apartment fire leaves two cats dead; firefighters save two others

An apartment fire in Santa Monica left two pet cats dead, but firefighters saved the lives of two others, authorities said Thursday.

Firefighters were dispatched to the 1900 block of 20th Street at 7:47 p.m. Wednesday, said Santa Monica fire Capt. Patrick Nulty.

“There were initial reports that occupants were possibly still inside,” Nulty said in a statement. “The first engine company arrived on scene in 5 minutes and 46 seconds. Crews performed an aggressive fire attack and search of the units.

“During the search, no human victims were located,” he said. “However, four cats were rescued from the apartment. Life saving measures were performed on the cats, utilizing `pet oxygen masks,’ which are carried on all Santa Monica fire apparatus, and two of the cats were successfully resuscitated. Unfortunately, the other two cats perished in the fire.”

The fire was contained to one apartment, and Red Cross personnel assisted the displaced resident, Nulty said.

“Santa Monica fire investigators determined the fire was caused accidentally,” he said.