Kittens chewing on cord cause house fire

By: Star Beacon - Shelley Terry

ASHTABULA — Curiosity killed two cats and set fire to a house Monday in the Ashtabula harbor.

Firefighters were called at 11:34 a.m. to a house fire at 1038 Westshore Drive. Upon arrival, firefighters reported smoke showing and soon discovered a fire in a first-floor bedroom, according to the Ashtabula Fire Department report.

Come to find out, two kittens chewing on a lamp cord had caused an arc, which ignited combustible material in the room, according to Ashtabula Fire Capt. Gerald Senger, who investigated the cause of the fire.

“It’s a freak thing,” he said.

The family’s 11-year-old son alerted them to the fire, allowing all to escape their home without injury.

Firefighters rescued three kittens from the bedroom, but two others died in the blaze, according to the fire department report. Two dogs and the mother cat safely made it out of the house with the family, the report said.

The firefighters extinguished the fire and had it under control by 11:49 a.m., the report said.

They then completed ventilating the house to get the smoke out, and left the scene at 12:35 p.m., the report said.

Firefighters remind area residents to keep electrical cords away from puppies, kittens and young children; they may chew through them and receive a severe shock.