SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — A cat found amid wildfire rubble in Sevier County has been reunited with its family.
The City of Pigeon Forge Fire Department said members of the Sevier County Volunteer Rescue Squad found the gray striped cat. It seemed ok aside from some singed whiskers over the weekend.
On Monday, the Sevier Animal Care Center posted on social media saying the cat's family quickly reclaimed it.
The cat named Jake belongs to the Vaughn family who owned the Von Bryan Estate on Hatcher Mountain in Wears Valley, which was destroyed by the fire.
The estate was also the site of firefighters' narrow escape from the blaze after it became "extremely erratic due to dangerously high winds and extremely low humidity."
Crews were reportedly overtaken by fire and had to evacuate the area.
Patrick Vaughn, one of the owners, said he had the opportunity to speak with some of the firefighters who tried to save the estate. He said one of the firefighters actually spotted Jake while ducking behind a wall as the fire drew closer.
"He made his way down and got behind that wall and looked over and one of our cats was standing there. So he said he had a very strange conversation with that cat 'cause he thought his life was coming to an end," Vaughn said.
Fortunately, the firefighters and Jake the cat escaped the fire and reunited with their loved ones.
