Cat Dies, Adults and Children Displaced in New Bedford House Fire

Residents of 135 Dartmouth Street in New Bedford escaped from a house fire Thursday evening without assistance, but a cat who was unaccounted for in the fire was found deceased on the third floor of the building.

On a hot day, New Bedford firefighters put down a late afternoon structure fire at a wood-frame apartment building in the South End in an effort Fire Chief Paul Corderre Jr. called "a good job by all."

Engines and ladder trucks were dispatched at approximately 5:30 p.m., with Engine 1 reporting fire venting from a window on the third floor. Engine 1 stretched the initial attack line up the front stairs, backed by Engine 6 with a second line. Ladder 3 attempted a primary search of the fire floor and the roof ventilation as Engine 7 stretched a third line up the back stairs. The fire was mostly contained to the "room of origin," apparently on the third floor, with minor extension to the attic space. Engine 8 was called to the scene "due to the extreme weather conditions," District Fire Chief Michael Dandurand reported, Coderre said in an email. Temperatures were high on Thursday, reaching around 90 degrees capping a multi-day heatwave in the region.

"There were no injuries to civilians (self-evacuated) or firefighters," Dandurand wrote. "One cat was recovered on the third floor which had expired."

The American Red Cross of Bristol and Plymouth Counties responded to the scene and stated on Twitter that seven adults and two children were reportedly displaced.