From Iceland — Cat That Survived Hafnarfjörður Fire Found

Cat That Survived Hafnarfjörður Fire Found

Published August 24, 2023

Photo by
Art Bicnick

Volunteers from the animal rescue organisation Dýrfinna found a young cat that had gone missing after a large fire at Hvaleyrarbraut 22 in Hafnarfjörður, reports Vísir.

The owner did not expect to find him, as Koddi the indoor cat was presumed lost.

“Suddenly, we saw a bright orange eye on top of the burnt ruins and knew that it was the cat we were looking for,” says Sandra Jóhannsdóttir, a consultant and volunteer at Dýrfinna.

The organisation had been searching for lost cats that lived in the house that burned down August 20. Many people resided in the house, which was a densely populated residence and was completely destroyed by the fire. No humans were killed or injured, but four of the residents’ cats went missing.

Sandra mentions that Dýrfinna confirmed that the fire brigade had rescued two cats from the roof of the house during firefighting operations. The third cat had been spotted in the area the evening after the fire, very scared. However, both Dýrfinna and the owner were unable to capture it.

Since then, volunteers have been patrolling the area in the evenings with flashlights and setting up traps in an attempt to capture the missing cats.

“The floor he lived on is no longer there. It has all been torn apart. He was on the roof closest to his apartment,” says Sandra. “It was remarkable to see him [Koddi] there, but now he’s safe and on his way to a veterinary examination today.”

Three cats are still missing — Stormie, Ogis and Sæti. One of them was seen the evening after the fire, and Dýrfinna has received tips about a cat resembling Ogis near Krónan supermarket on Hvaleyrarbraut. Dýrfinna will continue to monitor the area for the missing animals.

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