Cats alert, save Texas family from house fire

A duo of unlikely heroes came to the rescue early Sunday morning and saved a Travis County family from a fire in their home.

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A duo of unlikely heroes came to the rescue early Sunday morning and saved a Travis County family from a fire in their home.

Kristine Branstetter was asleep in her Steiner Ranch home early Sunday morning when her cat Lucky began laying on her chest and incessantly rubbing his face against hers. It was then that she noticed one of her other cats, Toast, was loudly meowing next to her.

Kristine said she began smelling plastic and looked outside her bedroom door, where she could see flickering. Moments later, she found the front office of her home fully engulfed in fire.

"They woke me up before the fire alarms even started going off," she said.

Kristine's daughter, Haley, recounted waking up to the smell of smoke filling up her room.

"It was just completely....kind of like a movie," she said.

Kristine's husband, Brent, heard her yelling when he ran into the office and saw four-foot-high flames jumping off the credenza desk. Grabbing a fire extinguisher from the pantry, Brent said he was able to extinguish that fire, and everyone made it out of the house.

Police, firefighters and emergency medical professionals quickly arrived on scene, the Branstetters said. First responders said if extra minutes had passed before they put out the fire, the house likely would've been a total loss.

The days since have been a haze of shock, the family said. While their home was not destroyed, it did sustain substantial smoke damages that will take months to repair. For now, they said they're grateful to be staying with neighbors while they figure out next steps for their temporary housing situation.

While the family speculates their printer might've overheated and caused the fire, the official cause remains under investigation. Even amid the blaze, all five residents, their five cats and the family dog safely escaped the home -- a testament, they all said, to Lucky and Toast's heroic acts.

"Lucky has earned his namesake," Kristine said. "Because we were lucky he woke us up, and Toast saved us from all being toast."

Those interested can contribute to the family's GoFundMe fundraiser online.