Cat Ignites Apartment Fire in Greensburg, Displaces Four Families
On February 19, 2026, a cat jumped onto a kitchen stove in a ground-floor apartment at the 200 block of East Pittsburgh Street in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The burner ignited. The fire spread. Two other cats in the unit died. Four families were displaced from the four-unit building. A nanny-cam captured the entire thing.
Fire Chief Tom Bell confirmed the cause: "The cat jumped up on the stove, ignited the stove with the burner, and that's what started the fire."
The Nanny-Cam Evidence
A camera inside the apartment recorded the moment the cat landed on the stove and the burner lit. The Greensburg Police Department has the footage but will not release it until insurance companies complete their review. The fire triggered an automatic alarm and prompted a massive emergency response that shut down the surrounding block for over an hour.
The cat that started the fire survived. Two other cats trapped in the apartment did not.
CBS News Pittsburgh: Cat Starts Apartment Fire in Greensburg
This Is Not Rare
South Korea documented 107 cat-started fires between 2019 and 2021, according to the National Fire Agency. Cats frequently activate glass-top stoves, knob burners, and induction cooktops by jumping, walking, or lying on them. The National Fire Protection Association lists pets among the top causes of residential fires in the United States, responsible for roughly 1,000 house fires per year.
In Garland, Texas, a cat was caught on a Ring camera turning on a gas stove in 2025. In Connecticut, a cat knocked a lamp onto bedding in 2024. In each case, the pattern is identical: an unsupervised animal near an ignition source.
Four Families Lost Their Homes
The four-unit building on East Pittsburgh Street requires full interior rehabilitation before any tenant can return. The fire caused extensive smoke and water damage throughout the structure. Chief Bell said tenants should eventually be able to return, but gave no timeline.
Nobody was injured. But four households are now looking for somewhere to live because a cat stepped on a stove.
WPXI: Tenants Displaced, 2 Cats Dead After Apartment Fire in Greensburg
This is the cost of treating a predatory animal like a housemate. The cat survived. The humans are homeless.
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