Woman reunited with two cats who were trapped in burned apartment building
LINCOLN, R.I. (WLNE) – Just minutes after the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, a fire broke out at a Lincoln apartment complex. One woman lost everything, including her two cats. Or so she thought.
The 3-alarm-fire destroyed a 12 unit apartment complex, displacing a total of 30 people.
Kayle LaFlamme said she just moved in there weeks ago. Not only did she lose all of her belongings, but also her two cats.
“They got all of them except for my two,” LaFlamme said. “My two are still up there or somewhere. They mean a lot to me. I’ve had Sammy which is the white and orange cat since 2015. He’s my everything, I couldn’t live without him.”
Days after the fire, Kayle received messages from friends who had walked by the burned apartment building, telling her that her cats were seen through a window – still trapped in the building.
Since the building was condemned, rescue teams were not permitted to go inside and rescue the cats.
LaFlamme told ABC6 that her cats were stuck in the building alone, with no food or water for five days.
On Tuesday, with help from the Lincoln Fire Department and animal control, LaFlamme was reunited with her cats.
Lincoln Fire said the cause is still under investigation.
Andrew said he call for the fire came in just after midnight. According to several residents, that’s when fireworks started to go off.
Lincoln Police Captain Philip Gould said, “Although no one was injured in the fire, the victims were literally only able to escape with the shirts on their back.”
Over the weekend, a donation drive was held for those displaced from the fire. Hundreds of people in cars took part in the drive.
Captain Gould said the donations filled two tractor-trailers, 20 large bins, and a large part of the town hall basement.
Gould said that the donations exceeded what the families needed, and the department is now looking to donate the additional items to local charities and shelters.
