NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A community is helping a Norfolk woman after a fire destroyed part of her home and killed 13 of her cats Sunday morning.

Shawn Hocevar told 10 On Your Side that she runs an independent cat rescue out of the house. She called it the worst day of her life.

The city has deemed her home unlivable, according to the notice posted to the front door. Brunt-up siding and insulation can still be seen scattered in her yard.

According to Hocevar, there were 26 cats in her home at the time of the fire — 13 of them did not make it out and died.

Of the other 13 cats, five ran away and eight made it into her care. Two of those cats are her own. Another two are now being fostered by a friend of Hocevar.

Adjusters and restoration workers spent Monday getting a grasp of the damage, estimating a four to six-month-long repair. Hocevar is still in need of a place to stay, along with the animals that made it out.

“And I came over yesterday, and she was just devastated,” her neighbor Robert Brown said. “Just crying on her back porch.”

10 On Your Side was there early Sunday morning when firefighters rushed to the house along Hyde Park Road. Brown, who lives across the street, got cell phone video of smoke billowing out of the roof.

“There’s tons of smoke damage throughout the house,” Brown said. “Cats are still in the sun room at the other end, and we’re trying diligently to find homes for them, or a temporary shelter.”

Hocevar said the fire started near a water heater while she was away from the home visiting a family member. She got the phone call from firefighters while driving home that morning, devastated to hear 13 of her cats did not make it. She spent much of her day at the veterinary office, putting two of the surviving cats on oxygen.

“Yesterday was literally the worst day of my life,” Hocevar said. “I have been doing this for a number of years. I do it properly. We work very hard to try to control the cat population in our communities. There’s a ton of us as independent rescuers. We do very good work.”

Now her neighbors — many of them total strangers before — are keeping an eye out for the missing animals.

“My community has been amazing,” Hocevar said. “I did not know any of my neighbors except for one person across the street until yesterday.”

Neighbors set up a GoFundMe to help Hocevar with vet bills. You can find it by clicking here.