A fire at an apartment in Timber Creek Townhouses Friday afternoon was caused by a gas stove being turned on accidentally when a family dog jumped on it while seeking food left in a plastic bowl, according to a press release from the Mason City Fire Department.

The family was not home at the time, and no one was injured, the press release states. The dog was out of the apartment when firefighters arrived at the scene. They rescued one cat, but two others perished.

The occupants of the apartment were displaced by the fire and are staying with family, according to the press release.

Firefighters responded to the apartment complex at 1601 Sixth Place SE at 2:48 p.m. They found the fire in the kitchen of the unit and quickly extinguished the blaze, the press release states.

Firefighters re

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