A fire at an historic Bethel home has claimed the life of a family pet.

Newstimes.com reports that the fire most likely started near a dryer in the basement of a house on Judd Avenue, which was built in 1845 and once housed servants of the Whittlesey family of the former Whittlesey Farm in Bethel.

The fire broke out about 9:00 AM and two people who were home at the time managed to escape. They were taken to Danbury Hospital to be evaluated. Firefighters pulled an unconscious cat from the house and tried in vain to revive the family pet with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The animal did not survive. However, another cat managed to escape on its own and was retrieved by firefighters.

The house is on the former property of the Whittlesey Farm at Judd Avenue and Route 302.  In 1966, 100 acres was sold to build Bethel High School and later Bethel Middle School, Johnson, Rockwell and Berry Schools. Here's a look at some footage of the fire being put out that was shared by the BFD:

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