MONROE (WWJ) - Fire ripped through a home in Monroe and for the couple who lives there, it's an especially devastating loss.

The fire started around 1:30 a.m. Friday at a home on East 2nd Street. No one was injured, but 16 cats were killed in the fire.

16 cats died in a house fire in Monroe. The family has rescued cats for years but was unable to save them. No humans were hurt. The cause of the fire appears to be an electrical problem. @WWJ950 @FOX2News pic.twitter.com/Ls7aOguS8e — Charlie Langton (@charlielangton) March 8, 2019

Alexa Miller said her mother has spent years rescuing cats and even devoted the back portion of her home to the operation -- where the fire broke out.

"That's where the cats lived, they had a room," Miller told WWJ's Charlie Langton. "It's all burned down to the ground."

Marek Kruczyski, who also lives in the home, said he did everything he could to save the animals.

"I was trying to call him and he just did a little turn and went back in," Kruczyski said through tears. "That's the last thing that has been going through my head now the last number of hours. I'm like, why would he turn away?"

Heartbroken is the only way to describe how Kruczyski feels.

"Stuff doesn't really matter, you know, it's just stuff. What really hits home is we lost all our little furry children," he said.

One dog was rescued from the home.

A cause of the fire remains under investigation, though officials say it appears to have started due to an electrical issue.