 Three people are safe after their cat alerted them about a fire. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue says a man and two women were trapped in a burning house along Westside Drive in Gaithersburg just after 4 yesterday morning. They told firefighters they were woken up by their cat, who kept pawing at them as they were trying to sleep. A basement resident grabbed a ladder to help them escape, and as they were climbing out, the cat then jumped back into the house, ultimately dying from smoke inhalation.