Firefighters find 61 cats while battling house fire in Massachusetts. Dozens died

A house fire rescue operation took an unusual turn Sunday, when firefighters began pulling dozens upon dozens of cats from the burning three-story home, according to the New Bedford Fire Department.

Sixty-one cats in all were found and 34 died, the department posted on Facebook.

Town officials are referring to the fire as a “domesticated animal mass casualty incident” and report multiple teams were rapidly assembled to save as many of the cats as possible. New Bedford is about 30 miles southeast of Providence.

“Twenty-six of them were treated and resuscitated by NBEMS Paramedics, Animal Control Officers, NBPD Officers, and available NBFD personnel,” the department said.

Three people were also rescued and taken to area hospitals, officials said. This includes a man who jumped from the third floor and caught the underside of a fire ladder. Photos show a firefighter clung to the man until the ladder could be lowered.

All three people were in stable condition Sunday, fire officials said.

The fire were reported 9:40 a.m. Sunday, and firefighters found the first floor of the “wood frame, two-family dwelling” was engulfed in flames. Photos show the fire eventually spread to all floors.

A cause for the fire has not been released, and officials have not said who owned the cats.

New Bedford Animal Control officials say it “was the largest amount of pets treated and transported from a structure fire” in city history, according to the Facebook post.

“Animal Control Officers transported cats to veterinary emergency clinics in West Bridgewater, Swansea, and as far away as West Greenwich, Rhode Island,” the fire department said. “All of them will require hyperbaric treatment and oxygen overnight.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 12:17 PM with the headline "Firefighters find 61 cats while battling house fire in Massachusetts. Dozens died."