Cat, 3 Birds Die In Parsippany House Fire: Cops

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – A family’s pet cat and three pet birds died early Friday morning when a fire caused a home to be uninhabitable, Parsippany police said.

Police received multiple calls at 3:47 a.m. Friday for a report of a structure fire on Midvale Avenue in Lake Hiawatha, police said. Firefighters from multiple Parsippany departments responded, along with the Boonton Fire Department, and found one resident, a 23-year-old female, outside the home, police said.

The woman told police another resident, a 61-year-od male, had just gone back into the house to rescue the pets – three cats and three birds in all. The man came back out of the home shortly after police arrived, but authorities were unable to enter the building and locate the pets due to heavy smoke.

The firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control and keep it to one bedroom, but the rest of the home sustained heavy smoke damage, police said.

The residents refused medical treatment, and all three birds, and one cat, died as a result of the fire, police said.

The incident is under investigation and the family has been aided by the Red Cross.