Two pets were killed as fire gutted a seven-unit apartment building in Penacook on Monday.
The Red Cross wrote in a statement that the 6 High St. fire displaced six people. No humans were injured in the morningtime blaze, fire Chief Dan Andrus said.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation Monday afternoon, the chief said.
Danielle Murray, who lives downstairs in the building near Penacook’s downtown, said she was watching TV unaware of what was happening when firefighters knocked on the door.
“We came out and saw there was smoke coming out of the two chimneys and the top windows of the third floor,” she said. “I just got my son out and got my cat out.”
There wasn’t much time to get out and residents just fled with what they had, she said.
“I didn’t really know what was going on; they just told us to get out. Once we got out, then we saw the smoke. We didn’t do anything to prepare for it. Just got our pants on and got out,” Murray said, standing outside and holding her cat, Darla.
But other pets weren’t so lucky. Andrus said in an afternoon update that a pet cat and a pet fish were killed in the fire.
Andrus said he would provide more information as the firefighters learn more about the cause of the fire.