CHAPPELL, Neb. (AP) - At least 48 cats were killed in a fire at a western Nebraska house that doubled as an animal shelter.
The fire last Friday started in the laundry room of Michelle Tynan's house in Chappell, about 370 miles (600 kilometers) west of Omaha.
Tynan, who co-founded the Nebraska Loves Cats nonprofit, said she discovered the dryer was on fire when she awoke to the smell of smoke shortly after midnight.
Tynan said she called 911, grabbed as many cats as she could and broke some windows so other cats could escape as she ran outside. Tynan said first responders wouldn't let her re-enter the house to rescue more animals.
"I could hear the cats crying and I was begging for somebody to please let me go back in and get the animals out," Tynan said to the North Platte Telegraph. "I was just beside myself in grief, screaming."
Tynan said several cats that initially escaped the fire ran back inside as the house burned. The Nebraska Loves Cats group said 48 cats died in the fire.
After the fire, nine cats were staying with Tynan at her mother's ranch outside of Chappell. The Nebraska Loves Cats group said two cats that were injured during the fire are being cared for by a veterinarian and four other cats have been relocated to North Platte.
Several other cats that escaped the fire remain on the loose.
Tynan said Nebraska Loves Cats has been licensed as an animal shelter since 2018, but in December Tynan was found guilty of violating a city ordinance by keeping more than five cats in a residential area. Tynan is appealing that conviction and the case is pending.
The group is seeking donations to help care for the cats following the fire.