Cat who jumped from burning balcony will recover: management company

A cat that jumped from the balcony of a burning building in downtown Edmonton on Thursday afternoon was injured but will recover, building officials say.

In various videos captured of the fire at Hardwood Plaza at Jasper Avenue and 110 Street, a person is rescued from the balcony of the burning apartment suite by firefighters.

A cat is also seen jumping from the balcony.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, the property management company for the building says the cat was found on the roof of one the commercial units below the balcony around 1 a.m. on Friday.

"The cat was in distress and a part of its abdomen was seen exposed," Curtis Siracky of CS Management Inc. said. "The cat also appeared to have an injured leg or paw. A kind person that helps with pets in crisis situations attended the site and took the pet for an emergency vet session."

Friday night the company said the cat had been seen by a vet and that it would make a full recovery. 

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Siracky says he's not aware of any other animals dying as a result of the fire, and says owners have been actively picking up their pets.

While it was originally believed that all residents except those in four suites impacted by the fire would be able to return to their homes on Thursday, Siracky says people in the 98 residential and seven commercial units in the building should now expect to be out for at least a week.

"Currently all units have been vacated due to lack of utilities in the building," he said.

"Trades are onsite inspecting and connecting utilities back to suites, however full services are not anticipated till late next week."

The Red Cross has been assisting residents without insurance or those that need emergency accommodations.

Siracky says the management company has been helping residents gather personal items from their suites.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.