32 cats and a dog killed in Long Beach apartment fire, officials say

LONG BEACH, Calif. (CNS) -- A fire in a unit of a three-story Long Beach apartment building killed 32 cats and a dog Sunday.

The fire was reported at 7:15 a.m. at the Lindenwood Apartment Complex in the 3500 block of Linden Avenue, just north of East Wardlow Road, according to the Long Beach Fire Department.

Arriving firefighters found heavy smoke on the third floor, which they followed to a unit in which they put out the fire, officials said. The flames did not spread to other units.

That unit sustained damage described as "significant," the LBFD stated. A resident was displaced but no human injuries were reported. Some nearby units sustained smoke damage.

A check of the apartment revealed 32 cats and one dog were killed in the fire, officials said.

The resident told firefighters the pets were being fostered for adoption, LBFD Capt. Jack Crabtree told City News Service.