PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Firefighters say they had to forcibly remove a woman from her home in Beechview.

They say she didn’t want to leave her burning house without her 17 cats.

An electrical fire on Dagmar Avenue started on the second floor and worked its way up to the attic.

When crews arrived, the homeowner was still inside with her cats. Rooms were stacked to the ceiling with cat litter boxes and other belongings.

“We had a crew go in there and had to physically remove her out of the house and turn her over to the medics and the police and they tried to keep her under control,” Pittsburgh Fire Batt. Chief Larry Yakich said.

“The upper floors were stacked to the windows with different stuff she had collected over the years and with the smoke it made it difficult to find your way around,” he added.

The woman told firefighters all of the cats were accounted for. Building inspectors are investigating.

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