A fire in an apartment building in Lewiston could have been a tragedy if not for the simple thing that a woman living on the second floor did.

The fire broke out Tuesday morning around 7:30 in the apartment building at 47 Howe Street. A couple on the second floor escaped with their cats unharmed but are now homeless.

The Lewiston Fire Department posted photos of the damage on their Facebook page which illustrates what one simple action can do to save lives and belongs from being destroyed in a fire.

"This is the apartment door to the second floor apartment," the department writes on their Facebook page. "The fire was across the hallway and in the hallway. The occupants escaped at the early stages of the fire and closed the apartment door behind them. They were able to return later on to gather personal belongings....nothing was damaged or ruined in the apartment!"

Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
loading...
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
loading...

Beth Nadeau, who lived on the second floor, wrote in a comment on the Lewiston Fire Department's page that she has a routine she does for her cats that saved her belongings. "The thing I've been saying all day, once I mainly regained my sense of reality, was that I always close the door so quickly when we go out. We have a special needs cat and another who is just nosy, and I'd do it to keep them in. We were literally holding them, running barefoot outside, and I closed the door behind me, not even thinking. Our belongings are mainly okay because of this door. It's incredible."

Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
loading...
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
loading...

Many people were surprised to see that the door held up based on its age, but the fire department explained that a window in the hallway blew out and that sent the heat and flames through it keeping the door intact.

Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
Lewiston Fire Department via Facebook
loading...

Thankfully everyone is okay. They may be out of a home, but because Beth has a habit of keeping her cats inside by quickly closing the door, they have everything that they hold dear.

 

READ MORE: 10 Stores That No Longer Exist in Maine But We Wish Still Did

UP NEXT: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

 

More From WBZN Old Town Maine