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Hero cat saves family by waking them up during house fire, later lost to smoke inhalation

Pets have a unique ability to sense danger and often act to protect their humans. You never know when your cat or dog might save your life. This was the case with a brave cat who saved its family from a fire, only to tragically die from smoke inhalation.

Early Sunday morning, around 4 am, a fire broke out in a home in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The homeowners were asleep, and their smoke alarms had been removed for painting. Amazingly, the family escaped the burning home in time, thanks to their cat, Prince.

Pete Piringer, spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, reported that the cat kept pawing at the sleeping owners until they woke up. Once awake, they found their home filled with thick smoke.

Trapped inside, they called 911 and alerted a basement resident, who used a painter’s ladder to help them escape through a window.

While all the humans made it out safely, Prince jumped from his owner’s arms and ran back into the house, where he succumbed to smoke inhalation.

Though Prince is gone, the family will always remember him as the hero who saved their lives. Piringer said the family credits Prince with waking them up and enabling their escape.

“Pet owners believe the cat returned to the house to look for another person,” he added.

The fire, which started from a freezer motor and spread to the dishwasher and cabinets, caused an estimated $200,000 in damage and displaced two residents. Fortunately, there were no injuries or other deaths.

While it’s miraculous that this family survived, Piringer highlighted the importance of having smoke detectors: “Many people think they will smell smoke and wake up if a fire occurs, but this isn’t true. Fires can produce odorless gases that are very toxic. Smoke alarms provide early warning so you can escape.”