Rohnert Park Fire Victim Credits Cat For Saving Life

ROHNERT PARK, CA — A Rohnert Park resident whose home was lost to a fire last week credits her pet cat for saving her life. The fire at a home on Jubilee Court broke out at about 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21.

"The reason we woke up was my cat was meowing and wanted out of my room and wouldn't leave me alone so officially the cat saved all of our lives because he woke us up," said Jennifer Lessley.

Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety investigators believe the fire started when flames escaped a firebox in the fireplace and traveled through an empty space between the interior walls and the exterior paneling to the upstairs bedrooms.

The roof collapsed above the living room and kitchen area of the residence, the Department of Public Safety said.

Damage to the home was estimated at $450,000 and the Red Cross responded to meet the residents' immediate needs.

"We are homeless like hundreds of others in a minute," Lessley told Patch.

But Lessley said Friday that her cat "Bee bee" had since gone missing.

"I'm so worried about my little life-saving warriors," she said.

Two pets were believed to have escaped from the blaze, The Press-Democrat reported last week.

Five adults were displaced by the fire, the newspaper reported.

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Bay City News Service contributed to this report

Photo courtesy Jennifer Lessley