LANSDOWNE, Md. (WJZ) — A middle-of-the-night apartment fire in Lansdowne sent residents into the night, some needing to be rescued.

Mike Schuh has more.

Those closest to the blaze are thankful to be alive, as this fast-moving fire happened at the worst time of day.

When firefighters arrived at the Circle Terrace Apartments, grease in a kitchen was ablaze, which lit the side of the building on fire. Neighbors pounded on each other’s doors.

“When I opened the front door, a blot of smoke just hit us,” said Christina Sumpter.

“And the next thing I know, my whole kitchen is on fire. The lady whose house caught on fire lives directly under me,” said Amelia Nichols.

Out safe with her kids, Nichols says a family member was left behind: her cat.

Firefighters first rescued three kids on a balcony; one teenage girl has been hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

“Right now, we know there were two or three members in the apartment that we rescued but we had 15 people displaced from this apartment complex,” said Jay Ringold.

As time wore on, Nichols sought out firefighters and told them exactly where to look for her cat, Jacob. Then it happened: Jacob was found.

“They got my cat; they got my cat,” she said.

Jacob smelled like fire and was a little scared and a little wet, but he wasn’t burned or injured in any way.

“I thought I lost my cat,” she said. “I love my cat.”

Now that the shock of surviving has worn off, reality has set in.

“My home is gone. I have nothing left. I don’t know what to do,” Sumpter said.

The Red Cross has been called and they are contacting the families who need help. Some of those displaced are staying with family and friends.