Two cats were rescued — one by a quick-thinking teenager — during a fire this afternoon in North Long Beach.
The blaze sparked shortly before 2:10 pm at a two-story apartment building on Atlantic Avenue just north of the 91 Freeway, said Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson Jack Crabtree.
Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from three cars on the first floor of the apartment building, which is underneath second-floor units at the back of the building, Crabtree said.
Firefighters knocked down the flames within 15 minutes, Crabtree said.
Flames did not spread to any of the units, but crews found “significant smoke” throughout several apartments on the second floor.
Scott Salazar, 17, said he and his girlfriend drove over quickly after getting a call about the fire.
When they arrived, they found one of their cats, Luna, on a ledge looking panicked, Salazar said.
He climbed quickly onto the ledge and grabbed Luna, then neighbors helped him and the cat down to the ground.
Firefighters rescued one of his girlfriend’s other cats, Mia, Salazar said.
A third cat was inside the apartment when the fire sparked, he said. Firefighters didn’t immediately find that cat, but cleared the unit of smoke.
Salazar said that cat, Ponchis, was likely hiding under a couch and thinks it will be ok.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. Nobody was injured in the blaze, authorities said.