Two Cats, Dog Killed in Long Beach Apartment Fire

A two-alarm fire early Tuesday morning in a Long Beach apartment complex killed two cats and a dog while rescuing over a dozen other pets including cats, dogs, and birds. The blaze broke out around 12:50 a.m. on East 17th Street and quickly spread through the second, third, and fourth floors of the four-story building. Firefighters extinguished the flames within about 20 minutes, with no human injuries reported. The fire displaced residents of three apartments, and the American Red Cross was called in to assist the eight adults affected. Significant fire and smoke damage was reported in those units, and investigators are still determining the cause, though a neighbor suggested fireworks might have sparked the fire. Animal control officers also assisted in the rescue efforts, highlighting the concentration of pets in at least one unit that housed more than a dozen animals.