Fourteen Displaced in New Bedford Fire Sunday

NEW BEDFORD — The American Red Cross is assisting 14 people displaced from their homes after a fire heavily damaged a three-story house in New Bedford.

Firefighters responded to the fire at 256 Shaw Street at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. On arrival, fire crews learned that all of the occupants of the building had safely escaped.

However, a dog and a cat were still inside. Firefighters searched the building for the animals, rescuing the dog from the second floor. But the cat, which was left on the third floor, died in the fire.

The fire was extinguished with fire damage confined to the third floor. The rest of the building sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

A firefighter suffered a minor burn.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.