A cat found cowering in a bedroom had its singed paws dunked in water by firefighters at a North Dunedin house fire..
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Station Officer Jim Smith, of Willowbank station, said his crew was called to a Crown St address, along with appliances from Dunedin City and Roslyn stations, after members of the public reported smoke and flames coming from a single-storey house about 12.30pm yesterday.
There were no people home at the time of the fire, but when firefighters were clearing the house they discovered a long-haired tortoiseshell cat cowering in a bedroom.
The cat was looking "a bit worse for wear", and it was suspected to have received burnt paws in the blaze, SO Smith said.
Firefighters carried the cat from the house and dunked its paws in water.
There was no sign of the homeowners so the cat, whose name was not known, was placed in the care of neighbours to take to a vet.
A fire investigator was attending to determine the cause of the fire, SO Smith said.
The incident had been referred to police.
