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Smoka the cat survives 26 days in fire debris

The cat's owner thought her pet was killed in a building blaze, but a demolition crew found her in the debris nearly a month later.
/ Source: The Associated Press

A woman's pet cat has been found alive, buried beneath debris 26 days after an Ohio fire.

Sandy LaPierre says she assumed 1-year-old Smoka had died from the Aug. 10 fire in Franklin, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Cincinnati. The blaze broke out in a building housing a flower shop and LaPierre's second-floor apartment.

A demolition company moved in to tear down what was left of the building the day after the fire. A crew from Stark Wrecking Co. came back Sept. 4 to clear away the rubble and found Smoka's head sticking out from under 16 feet (nearly 5 meters) of debris.

LaPierre says her female cat lost a lot of weight and has been gobbling down food to make up for it. She says Smoka has some difficulty walking but otherwise seems OK.