SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News)- People in a Trolley Square neighborhood are calling a cat a hero. The animal apparently acted up Sunday morning letting a deaf person know that her house was on fire.
Elva Petersen says she escaped from that burning building. She tries to explain what happened inside her duplex. Petersen is deaf, but she makes it clear a devastating fire chased her mother out of her home, and was threatening her life too.
Petersen says she was sleeping and suddenly she couldn't breathe. She says her cat was going crazy. When she saw a ball of flames, she busted out her bedroom window. Steve Finau says he saw the whole thing. Finau says,” I mean she broke through the window herself and got out on the roof.”
He says neighbors got a ladder and helped Petersen down to safety. Inside the duplex, the destruction to the building was severe. But, there was no loss of life thanks to a little black cat and some quick thinking by a women in trouble.
Petersen says she suffered minor injuries. Her mother is staying in a Salt Lake City Hotel. Fire investigators are trying to find the cause of the blaze.
