Pair of cats, Sylvester and Cookie, recovering with family after surviving Queens apartment fire
SUNNYSIDE, Queens (WABC) -- Two cats are feline fine after surviving a massive apartment fire in Queens.
The five-alarm fire tore through the six-story building in Sunnyside on Wednesday around noon. An investigation is underway, and officials have deemed the use of an unauthorized blowtorch as the cause of the fire.
Dozens of families are now without a home right before the Christmas holiday. Among those affected include Sylvester and Cookie, a pair of cat siblings.
Pictures show Sylvester on the fire escape before he got scared and jumped six stories, hit the top of a car and ran. Cookie stayed put on the ledge and was rescued by the FDNY.
A neighbor eventually found Sylvester and brought him back to his very thankful owners.
"If I get my cats, that's all I want right now, just to be with them. I'm just glad they are here," said Teresa Ventura, their owner. "They're the best Christmas presents, these two."
Sylvester and Cookie's family are staying at a hotel in the meantime, and after a checkup with a vet, the brother and sister are said to be doing okay.
ALSO READ: Nearly 200 residents displaced after torch ignites massive fire in Queens
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