SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - Fierce flames forced a family to make a desperate escape from their home in a Sunrise neighborhood, leading crews to come to the rescue of a woman who became trapped inside.

Homeowner Linda Chiotis broke in down in tears when she spoke with 7News on Sunday. She said one of her cats did not make it out of the burning house, located near North Pine Island Road and Northwest 26th Street.

“I had her for 23 years. I pulled the bird out of the house and saved her, but I couldn’t save everybody. I couldn’t save them all,” she said.

Now Chiotis, who did not want to appear on camera, is mourning the loss of her cat, adding that the beloved pet may have saved their lives.

“The cat was pounding on that door to get in, and I let her in, but I don’t think we got her out, and she’s the one that woke us up,” she said.

That’s when, Chiotis said, the family realized their home was on fire.

“Danny looked up, and he felt the heat, and he saw the fire, and he started screaming, ‘fire, fire,'” she said.

Chiotis said she tried to save her pets.

“That’s when I flew across the house. I opened the door and let the cat in, and then I pulled the bird out,” she said.

Chiotis was able to escape the blaze with two other residents, but her mother stayed trapped inside her bedroom.

Sunrise Fire Chief John McNamara said crews rushed to her aid.

“When they actually broke the window to the room and crawled in, [crews] pulled the victim out of the window,” he said.

The house was destroyed in the fire.

“I’m still in the same clothes. I don’t have any shoes,” said Chiotis.

Chiotis said they had no insurance and now have nowhere to live.

“Everything is gone. Look, there’s no windows, no sliding glass doors. They can’t fix this,” she said.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross are assisting the four people impacted by the blaze.

Chiotis said she’s still looking for two of her cats that went missing after the fire broke out.

“I hope my cats are not in this house,” she said.

She’s asking anyone who sees the felines roaming the neighborhood to come forward or report it to Sunrise Fire Rescue.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help. Click here if you would like to help.

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