Adorable tabby cat called TOAST Malone is rescued from burning apartment complex

Published: 16:48, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 16:49, 5 August 2026 An adorable pet cat was miraculously found alive nearly 72 hours after a fire ripped through a Utah apartment complex building. Ryder Mathis got the fright of his life when he woke up July 31 to the sound of smoke alarms blaring through his North Union Apartments unit. 'I started seeing people kind of lining up outside, and I thought, "This has to be something," because I could smell smoke,' he told ABC4. Mathis mentioned that his first thought was to get his beloved pet cat, Toast Malone, from under the couch. He moved furniture around only for frightened Toast to frantically run behind a washing machine. 'Right after that, I got a text from my fiancée, Madison, and it said, "The fourth floor is on fire, you need to leave right now."' Living on the fourth floor, Mathis described making the tough call to leave and hope the fire didn't get too bad. 'But it did,' he said of the blaze. An adorable pet cat named Toast Malone was found alive nearly 72 hours after a Utah apartment complex caught fire The cat's owner, Ryder Mathis, described waking up to the smell of smoke in his North Union Apartments unit on July 31 Mathis described making efforts to get Toast before making a difficult choice to leave his cat behind due to the fire's close proximity Once residents were allowed back into the complex, Mathis saw charred remnants of his home following the fire. Being in such close proximity to where the fire had originated, Mathis was expecting it to be a 'complete loss.' While his expectation was mostly correct, Mathis' closet was miraculously still standing. Inside it, Unified Fire Authority (UFA) firefighters found Toast alive and well. 'I was trying to convince myself and Madison for so long that we were kind of torturing ourselves by thinking that he might still be out there,' Mathis said. According to a statement by the UFA, Toast survived 'days of smoke,' and 'hundreds of thousands of gallons of water being sprayed overhead.' It went on to state that although a little scared, wet and cold, Toast was otherwise completely healthy.  'I can't express my gratitude enough for animal services, especially Sergeant Cantor, with Salt Lake County Animal Services. She went to war for us to make sure someone went up there just to check,' he added. Although little remained of his apartment, Mathis' closet was still standing, and within it, Toast, who was retrieved by Unified Fire Authority firefighters According to the Unified Fire Authority, Toast survived 'days of smoke,' and 'hundreds of thousands of gallons of water being sprayed overhead.' 'I can't express my gratitude enough for animal services, especially Sergeant Cantor, with Salt Lake County Animal Services. She went to war for us to make sure someone went up there just to check'  Officer Deacon, another member of Salt Lake County Animal Services, explained the process of being called to the fire. Deacon mentioned that initially they spoke with residents to learn which animals were missing while they waited for the active fire to become safe enough to enter.  As soon as they were allowed into units, they began to evacuate pets. When they were finally allowed to clear the fourth-floor apartments for animals, they did not expect to see any living pets, until crews found Toast.  'As someone who has worked veterinary emergency medicine for 25 years, I was in shell shock. I think my jaw hit the ground, that a cat made it out of that fire with no health issues,' Sergeant Cantor said. 'I talked to the owners. He is doing great, little shell-shocked, but he's happy to be with them and home.'  Deacon mentioned that Animal Services is almost always on the scene of incidents when an animal is also there. 'If the police are involved, if fire is involved, whether it be as something as dangerous as a SWAT incident or a barricaded suspect, if there's an animal involved, our officers are on scene with them,' Deacon explained. According to reports by Deseret News, 220 out of 223 units were occupied and safely evacuated.  North Union Apartments posted a statement on July 31 saying the fire's cause was unknown and that they will update residents regarding temporary housing, leases, next steps and answering questions. However, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that officials have ruled out arson and narrowed the cause down to a mechanical problem.  The American Red Cross was assisting those who were displaced at a temporary shelter at the north end of Hillcrest High School. The organization said it provided lunch to approximately 200 people who had been evacuated.  The Daily Mail has reached out to UFA for comment.