A fifteen-year-old cat alerted a California couple that their home was burning down early Thursday, giving them just enough time to make an escape, Fox40.com reports.
The door to the couple's bedroom was closed. But they heard their cat, Cole, scratching and making loud noises at the door. They opened the door and discovered the house filled with smoke.
The couple lives in Wilton, Calif, which is just southeast of Sacramento. They asked the station not to be identified, but said they escaped the backdoor of the home before the fire spread and windows began exploding. The cat was seen by firefighters running from the home.
Firefighters said the closed door may have saved them from smoke inhalation.
Investigators are unsure about what started the fire, but say they're focusing their attention on the front of the home where most of the damage was done. Firefighters described a couch toward the front as having "melted."
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