11 cats killed in tragic fire while pet owner is out of the house

A fire at a house in Bangkok’s Thung Khru district on Friday evening shocked people after officials confirmed 11 casualties – all cats.

Police said officials were alerted to the fire at a two-storey house in Soi Pracha Utis 90 on Friday evening. It took firefighters only five minutes to extinguish the blaze, which was limited to a room on the second floor of the house, the police added.

Forensic officers found nine charred bodies of cats in the room and two dead felines outside the house. They concluded that 11 cats had died in the incident, while 12 were injured.

The cat owner, Sirisara (last name withheld), 53, said she was not at home when the fire broke out, adding that she kept 29 cats in the room, each in their individual cage. This means six of her cats were missing after the fire.

The heartbroken owner said she had rented the house and dedicated the second floor as a feline zone, where electric fans were used during the day for ventilation, which she turned off every night.

Sirisara told investigators that a short circuit could have caused the fire, as she normally turns off the fan switches. 

Five of the injured cats were in a critical condition and hospitalised, while the rest were sent home after treatment for minor injuries.