Twenty-one cats were killed and five others suffered from smoke inhalation in a fire at a four-story terraced house in Bangkok’s Don Mueang district on Sunday night.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about ten minutes but were unable to save the animals, which were found dead on the ground floor.
Emergency workers discovered five other cats alive but suffering from smoke inhalation. They administered first aid before taking the animals to a veterinary hospital.
The house owner, a 56-year-old woman, was not home when the fire started. She was shocked to find most of her cats dead and significant fire damage upon her return.
The woman, who lives alone, told the police she collects stray cats from the neighborhood and raises them in her house. She had locked the house when she went out for errands, preventing the cats from escaping.
Police currently believe that an electrical short circuit caused the fire.
