A man suffered life-threatening smoke inhalation injuries today when he went back into his burning Van Nuys apartment looking for his pet cat.

Forty-five firefighters responded to the blaze at a three-story building in the 8100 block of Langdon Avenue, reported at 1:23 p.m., and knocked down the flames in 16 minutes, Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

They rescued the approximately 50-year-old man, who was taken to a hospital for treatment, as well as the cat, which was largely unscathed and is now in the care of neighbors, Humphrey said.

Firefighters contained the blaze to the man’s third-floor apartment, he said.

The injured man was cooking and an electrical fire broke out in a kitchen ventilation fan and spread into cabinets, Humphrey said.

He got out safely, but went back in for the cat and that’s when he was injured, Humphrey said.

The man was covered with soot when firefighters got him out of the structure, he said.

The apartment was left uninhabitable, Humphrey said, adding that once out of the building, the man should have stayed out and informed arriving firefighters that his pet cat was still inside.