Cat named ‘Toast’ survives 72 hours in Utah apartment fire, reunited with owners

A mechanical issue sparked a fire in a five-story apartment building in a Salt Lake City suburb last week. The blaze spread through the entire structure in minutes, forcing the evacuation of all residents — and their pets.

For one family, leaving meant leaving behind their cat. The black and gray cat named Toast Malone had scurried behind a washing machine as the flames mounted. Owners Madison Stott and Ryder had to flee the apartment without him.

The fire reportedly raged for 60 hours before firefighters fully extinguished it. With smoke engulfing the building and more than 100,000 gallons of water sprayed inside, the chances of finding Toast alive seemed slim. The Salt Lake County Animal Services put out a social media post to help search for him, but as more time passed, hope became “harder to hold on to.”

Then, more than 72 hours after the fire began, rescuers found something in a closet. The structure was one of the few spaces that survived the blaze. Inside, Toast was alive.“Toast the cat was safely reunited with a very grateful owner, and aside from being wet, cold and a little scared, was otherwise healthy,” the Unified Fire Authority wrote on Facebook. Toast’s rescue was the most dramatic from the apartment fire, but emergency personnel played a major role in protecting many other pets.

Approximately 200 residents were evacuated from the building.“For the past four days, our Animal Services Officers have worked side by side with firefighters, helping rescue animals, reunite families, provide temporary care for displaced pets, and stand ready whenever it was safe to enter,” Salt Lake County Animal Services wrote on Instagram.

The Instagram post featuring video of Toast’s reunion has received more than 30,000 likes, with many commenters calling it a modern miracle.For Stott, the reunion meant everything. “I never lost hope that my baby was still alive,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thank you so much for bringing him back to us!”Fire officials say the cause of the blaze was a mechanical issue. An investigation into the building’s damage is ongoing.