16 Cats Perish In House Fire

INDIO, CA – UPDATE, TUESDAY, JAN. 17, 9:45 a.m.

Sixteen cats died in a house fire Tuesday in Indio while the homeowner was out of town.

The blaze, reported at 12:25 a.m. in the 83000 block of Dillon Avenue, was knocked down in 17 minutes by two dozen firefighters, said Tawny Castro of the Riverside County Fire Department.

One cat survived the blaze, which caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, Castro said.

According to Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh, the homeowner had been away from home due to a health issue, staying with a relative in Palm Springs.

Welsh said the homeowner was well over the city of Indio's legal limit of nine cats allowed.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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TUESDAY, JAN. 17, 8:43 a.m.

Several cats died in a house fire today in Indio but there were no human injuries.

The blaze was reported at 12:25 a.m. in the 83000 block of Dillon Avenue and was knocked down in 17 minutes by 24 firefighters, said Tawny Castro of the Riverside County Fire Department.

The first arriving crew reported light smoke coming from the home and the blaze was quickly contained, Castro said. Animal Control was requested for the deceased cats inside the home, she added.

Damage is estimated at $50,000. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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--City News Service contributed to this report/File image