PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Firefighters rescued a cat from a fire started by spontaneous combustion in southeast Portland.
It happened at the Ritzdorf Apartments on Southeast Belmont and 12th Street.
Crews say they could hear screaming when they got there.
They say the fire started on the second floor and a sprinkler system helped keep the flames mostly contained to a couch.
Investigators say the tenant took clothes out of a dryer and put them on oily rags on the couch before leaving his apartment.
They say that created a spontaneous combustion which sparked the fire while he was away.
It turns out the screaming crews heard was the tenant's cat, who was hiding in the bathtub.
Crews say they gave the cat oxygen and returned him to his owner in good condition.
The Red Cross is helping the tenant.
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