CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Fire Department confirmed 12 condo units were affected when a fire ripped through a block of them on 8th Street in the Fourth Ward Tuesday afternoon. A 69-year-old woman was found dead during the still-ongoing investigation, according to officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
As the fire burned on, nearby residents had to evacuate. One homeowner, Cristina Miller, lives on the ground level. She was home at the time of the fire.
She said the door caught fire so quickly, she ran out without shoes and just the clothes on her back.
"I knew I had to leave. I had to get out," she said.
Unfortunately, she ran out not knowing if her pet cat made it out with her.
Tuesday night, flyers with pictures of Simba were posted all over the neighborhood saying he may have run out.
"He hides really well so when he ran upstairs, I just couldn't find him," Miller said.
The pet owner said she was losing hope when she returned to her home Wednesday morning.
Around noon Wednesday, she was reunited with her cat.
"My sister heard him meow," Miller said. "She told me to come here and he was around the corner. So he must have been hiding in a really good spot upstairs."
The artist, who was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago, said Simba is more than a furry friend
"Cats can help with low sugars and high sugars and I wanted a companion. So when he had the red hair, I said that's my son," she said.
Miller said she feels lucky that she'll get to stay with family for now but feels awful for her neighbors who lost their homes and have nowhere to stay.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.