The Quincy Fire Department says an unattended candle is what caused the fire Wednesday morning at 1416 Payson Ave.
QFD Chief Joe Henning said the fire was contained to one room, however, there was smoke and water damage to other parts of the house.
The fire broke out about 8:45 a.m.
Therese Holford was home at the time the fire broke out. She was examined by EMTs at the scene but was not injured.
The fire was contained by about 9 a.m.
Firefighters rescued several of the pets and the EMTs administered oxygen to some of the cats brought out of the house.
In total, firefighters removed eight cats and three dogs from the residence.
"Well it's not necessarily a tank, it's a mask that goes on the end of our oxygen. We can put on there and put it over like a dog or a cat something such as that. Instead of us using like maybe an infant mask, we're used those before, too. But we have some that are specifically for animals," Assistant Fire Chief Tom Bentley said.
The fire department says the pet sized oxygen masks were donated to the department several years ago.
Each fire truck stationed throughout the city has at least one of the masks on board to accommodate rescued pets.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA