Fire ruled an accident; cat rescued from one of houses.
Two houses caught on fire in Northeast El Paso early Sunday morning in what fire officials are calling an accidental fire.
The El Paso Fire Department was called out to a fire along the 5300 block of Annette Avenue at about 4 a.m. Sunday.
When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of one house and from the side of another. Firefighters began to simultaneously fight the fire and look for occupants. One of the houses was empty and the residents of the other were able to get out on their own. Firefighters rescued a cat from the empty house.
Firefighters knocked down the fire at about 4:45 a.m. and continued to check for hot spots until about 5 a.m. The fire was confined to about 25 percent of one house, with damages estimated at about $55,000, and to 10 percent of the other house, with damages estimated at $12,000.
The cause of the fire was accidental, fire officials said. No other details were available.
A total of 11 units and 29 firefighters responded. El Paso Police, Texas Gas and El Paso Planning and Inspections also assisted.