Cat Perishes After Alerting CA Owner to Fire

An elderly woman told San Diego firefighters her cat woke her after a fire sparked in her College Area home early Tuesday, giving her the time she needed to make it out safely.

The pet, along with another cat and dog, weren't so lucky, and died in the blaze.

"Thankfully the cat was there," San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief David Gerboth told reporters. "Unfortunately, the cat perished in the fire, but the cat did do one last good deed before it died."

The fire started about 1:40 a.m. at the home on 72nd Street near El Cajon Boulevard, department spokesman Lee Swanson said.

A tow truck driver who was in a parking lot next door spotted the flames. As rushed to the door, and, just as he started to knock, the resident emerged with help from a walker, Swanson said. The man ushered her to safety, and then towed her car away so it wouldn't be damaged by the flames.

"It sounds like he certainly contributed to her getting out," Gerboth said.

Firefighters from San Diego and La Mesa doused the flames in about 20 minutes. Gerboth said the house contained many contents, which made dousing the flames more difficult.

"It was an elderly occupant and she's been saving things for a long time, so there were a lot of contents in the home," Gerboth told reporters.

The flames caused about $300,000 in damage - $200,000 to the home and $100,000 to its contents, Swanson said. The cause of the fire was electrical in nature.

San Diego News Video contributed to this story.

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