Two cats still missing after fire on Mechanic Street

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Fire crews were called the scene of a fire at a two-apartment building located at 118 Mechanic Street in Fort Wayne around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

PHOTOS: Mechanic Street fire

Officials said crews arrived at the scene and found heavy smoke and flames on the first floor. Firefighters began an aggressive interior attack with multiple roof ventilations.

According to the Fort Wayne Fire Department's Public Information Officer, Stacey Fleming, no one was home at the time of the fire.

It took crews an hour and 23 minutes to get the fire under control due to numerous empty spaces throughout the building. Both apartments in the two-story building were damaged by the fire. Officials said the property was deemed uninhabitable and the structure was demolished.

Investigators determined the cause of the fire was improperly discarded smoking materials.

A resident of one of the units said she left to drop her children off at school and when she returned about 30 minutes later, the building was in flames. She told NewsChannel 15 she was worried about her two cats and feared they had perished in the fire. Firefighters said the two cats are still missing.

The Red Cross was called to assist the families affected by the fire.