The fire broke out about 8:40 a.m. in the home in the 2000 block of and 34th Avenue North.

Fire Marshal Kelly Rothrock believes the fire may have started when one of the woman's seven cats knocked over a candle in the living room.

They believe Mary Lou Henry, 77, was in the kitchen when the fire started because the faucet was still running.

Rothrock theorizes she ran out and tried to put out the fire and rescue her pets.

Her body was found still clutching one of her lifeless cats.

A second cat also perished in the fire which gutted two rooms.

One of the dead felines was badly burned, leading Rothrock to believe it might have caught fire after knocking over the candle.

Two others were given oxygen by Texas City EMS crews and taken to a local animal shelter.

Henry's daughter said two cats are missing.

Firefighters said when they arrived on the scene a sticker on the house door read, "In case of fire save the cats."

Source: The Daily News