A house fire broke out in Canton during Monday's solar eclipse leading to a large cat rescue.
Just before 3 p.m., the Canton Fire Department responded to a home on 25th Street Northwest.
When firefighters arrived, a woman was found outside saying there was a fire in her kitchen.
The 76-year-old owner told investigators she believed one of her cats accidentally turned on a burner on her stove top.
Firefighters rescued 37 cats from the home and quickly put out the fire.
All of the cats survived and the woman did not suffer any injuries. A firefighter suffered minor injuries.
Fire crews used oxygen on about six of the cats.
"They were not unconscious, but very lethargic. You could tell that they were suffering from the effects of the smoke," said Canton Fire Division Chief Steve Henderson.
While the potential cause of the fire seems odd, Henderson said he has seen it happen in other cases.
"We've actually had fires from that cause before. People leave food on the stove and a dog or a cat tries to get to the food and actually ignites the burner and catches food on fire. We've actually had that happen a couple of times over the years," Henderson said.
Fire investigators said the cats appeared to be in good health and the owner kept possession of them.
An investigators with the Stark County Humane Society stopped by to do a welfare check on the cats on Tuesday. There was no answer when the investigator knocked on the door.
It's not clear if the cats are back in the home or staying somewhere else.
The damage to the kitchen area was estimated at $7,500, Henderson said.
