{"id":6654,"date":"2026-08-05T10:30:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T10:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6654"},"modified":"2026-08-05T10:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T10:30:30","slug":"cat-survives-utah-apartment-fire-by-sheltering-in-closet-for-three-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6654","title":{"rendered":"Cat survives Utah apartment fire by sheltering in closet for three days"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"2872a3e1-2654-4a78-8b81-5c0bae62cdf0\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A firefighter smiles and holds a cat\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4a988f4fa81234b6ba59f99bd110251343e3a2a2\/193_0_1708_1366\/master\/1708.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.8911007025761\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A firefighter holds Toast after the cat hid for sevearl days in a closet after a fire, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Salt Lake unified fire authority<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"2872a3e1-2654-4a78-8b81-5c0bae62cdf0\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A firefighter holds Toast after the cat hid for sevearl days in a closet after a fire, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Salt Lake unified fire authority<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Cat survives Utah apartment fire by sheltering in closet for three days<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Toast the cat escaped his namesake fate when blaze ripped through building and displaced more than 40 families<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A pet cat quite fittingly named Toast survived a devastating fire that recently gutted an apartment complex in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/utah\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Utah<\/a> by hiding in a closet \u2013 and then safely endured a days-long wait before being rescued, according to officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Beside prompting comments across the news and social media landscapes about cats having nine lives, Toast\u2019s death-defying story provided a slight measure of glad tidings surrounding a blaze that ultimately displaced hundreds of residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Toast was living in one of the 220 occupied units at the North Union Apartments in the Salt Lake City suburb of Midvale when the five-level facility caught fire at about 8am on Friday. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firealarmhouston.com\/resources\/understanding-fire-alarm-levels\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">four-alarm<\/a> blaze, which was probably caused by a mechanical issue, tore through and destroyed the complex. It took more than 60 hours for firefighters to extinguish, local news outlets <a href=\"https:\/\/kutv.com\/news\/local\/cat-named-toast-survives-devastating-midvale-apartment-fire?fbclid=IwY2xjawTe3pNwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMUw4Q3lPNkN2TXhLendoMDZzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEegwbOwIJ9mY_8mws1VJokwpoy33uHfZ9NoIQIlM9C8fvkc5GCbfJmtOInhug_aem_Pj1stGxK8nj9wQqgCU5TeA\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">KUTV<\/a> and the Salt Lake Tribune <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/2026\/08\/01\/midvale-apartment-fire-officials\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"424d91fe-8124-40aa-a9c1-1a84e73d6bee\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/15\/maryland-bank-thief-cat\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Feline felony: suspect arrested after bringing kitten to rob Maryland bank<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Though many pets were evacuated alongside the residents of all of the complex\u2019s units, one animal who was not immediately accounted for was Toast. His human owners, therefore, \u201cfeared they had lost him\u201d, said a social media post from Salt Lake county animal services, which was working with pets affected by Friday\u2019s fire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">And \u201cas the days passed without any sign of him\u201d, the agency\u2019s post continued, \u201chope became harder to hold on to\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The cat, however, held on, Salt Lake\u2019s unified fire authority <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unifiedfireauthority\/posts\/pfbid02oPSRgYJEFLAwzfJeMzgBjtZob9NeP838fS5XqHgaDgv8MYvz72MdTh49s2Ngrgfhl\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> in a Monday-night statement on Facebook. The authority recounted how firefighters had found Toast \u201c(yes, that\u2019s really its name!) alive inside the North Union Apartments more than 72 hours after the fire began\u201d, despite having been surrounded by a number of potentially lethal perils.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cHidden inside a closet \u2013 one of the only places left standing in the apartment after the roof collapsed \u2013 the resilient cat survived days of smoke, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water being sprayed overhead [by firefighters], and the destruction all around,\u201d the authority\u2019s statement added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Toast soon was \u201csafely reunited with a very grateful owner\u201d, the statement said. \u201cAnd aside from being wet, cold and a little scared, [he] was otherwise healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A Facebook user named Ryder Mathis replied to the fire authority\u2019s statement with a comment reading: \u201cThank you so much for all your help. I\u2019m so blown away that he was found and safe!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a separate reply to the authority\u2019s statement, a Facebook user named Madison Stott said: \u201cRyder and I are immensely grateful for your team. We were absolutely devastated and it still feels like a dream! Could not thank you enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Salt Lake county animal services on Monday posted a video of Toast\u2019s reunion with his owner, noting the moment took place about an hour after firefighters had found him. On the clip, Toast can be heard meowing in a cat carrier as Mathis peers in, sniffles joyfully and asks, \u201cCan I take him?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-12\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-12\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cPlease, go,\u201d a voice answers. \u201cGo ahead and grab him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The agency said the scene was a reminder of \u201cwhy we never stop searching\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cTo Toast \u2026 welcome home,\u201d the agency also said. \u201cYour family never stopped hoping for this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It was not immediately clear when the North Union Apartments\u2019 residents would be able to return, the news station KSL <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksl.com\/article\/51605548\/no-timeline-yet-for-tenants-to-return-to-midvale-apartment-complex\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reported<\/a> on Monday. More than 40 families had temporarily moved into Airbnb homes because of a partnership between the short-term rental company and the United Way of Salt Lake charitable non-profit \u2013 but many displaced tenants were still grappling with uncertainty, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/utah\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Utah<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/lifeandstyle\/cats\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Cats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/firefighters\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Firefighters<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/lifeandstyle\/pets\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Pets<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/animals\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Animals<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Cat%20survives%20Utah%20apartment%20fire%20by%20sheltering%20in%20closet%20for%20three%20days&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/toast-the-cat-utah-fire?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F05%2Ftoast-the-cat-utah-fire&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/toast-the-cat-utah-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A firefighter holds Toast after the cat hid for sevearl days in a closet after a fire, in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6654"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6657,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6654\/revisions\/6657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}