A woman and 15 of her pets were killed in a pre-dawn fire that swept through a residential area in Barangay West Kamias on Saturday.

Authorities reported that the blaze began at 3:40 a.m. at a house on Kamias Road corner Colonel Salgado Street, an area near a gas station and the main Metro Manila thoroughfare, EDSA.

Fire officials raised a second alarm and reported difficulty recovering the remains of the female victim from beneath the debris. The fire was declared out at 4:44 a.m.

Family members of the victim told officials that 14 of the woman’s cats perished in the blaze. While her dogs initially escaped the burning house, one dog reportedly ran back inside and also died.