A cat named Toast survived a major apartment fire in Utah after hiding in a closet for three days before rescue teams could reach him.
While the incident led many online to joke about cats having nine lives, Toast’s rescue offered a small spot of good news amid a disaster that left hundreds of people homeless.
The five-story North Union Apartments complex in Midvale, just outside Salt Lake City, caught fire on Friday morning around 8:00 AM.
Fire crews spent over two days battling the four-alarm blaze, which was likely caused by a mechanical failure and ultimately destroyed all 220 occupied units in the building.
In total, it took firefighters over 60 hours to extinguish the fire.
While many residents managed to evacuate with their pets, Toast was initially missing, leading his owners to fear the worst.
Local animal control officers noted on social media that as time went on, the chances of finding him alive grew increasingly small.
Against the odds, the local fire department announced that they had discovered Toast alive inside the complex, more than three days after the fire began.
The cat had survived inside a closet, one of the few structure points that remained intact after the roof caved in.
Despite the thick smoke and water poured from above, Toast managed to survive.
Emergency workers returned the cat to his relieved owner shortly after his rescue. Aside from being cold, wet, and frightened, Toast was in remarkably good health.
On Facebook, Toast’s owner Ryder Mathis expressed disbelief and gratitude, commenting that he was blown away to learn that his beloved pet had been found alive.
Another resident, Madison Stott, added that the news felt like a dream after days of heartbreak.
Salt Lake County Animal Services shared a video showing the reunion roughly an hour after Toast was pulled from the rubble.
In the footage, Toast meows from inside a pet carrier while a tearful Mathis looks in and eagerly asks if he can take his cat home.
Currently, it’s unclear when residents of the North Union Apartments will be able to go back home.
While a partnership between Airbnb and the United Way of Salt Lake has placed over 40 families in temporary housing, many displaced tenants continue to face a very uncertain future.
