Mom dies after she escaped fire with family, but returned to burning apartment to save cat

A Houston woman has died after she re-entered an apartment during a fire to save her family's cat, local media is reporting.

The Houston Fire Department responded to a call for an apartment fire around 10:18 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to ABC13 in Houston, and firefighters arriving were met with heavy smoke and fire.

The fire came from the apartment of Andrew Salinas, who told ABC13 he and his family were sleeping when the fire started. The family evacuated, which included Salinas, his 6- and 10-year-old children, wife and brother.

But Salinas told multiple outlets his wife, 33-year-old Keila Almonte, ran back into the apartment to save their cat, and never came back out. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Four units were destroyed in the blaze, and the Houston Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire.

"You have your loved ones. You give them a kiss everyday, and you tell them you love them, because one day they're here. The next day, they're not," Salinas told ABC13.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover Almonte's funeral expenses.