My grandmother's apartment burnt down from faulty wiring. She lost one of her cats in the fire. It was a former feral who was just too scared to do anything but hide under the bed (the other cat was found and treated for smoke inhalation). She lost everything too...
I would get one of those "There are pets here" decals for your house, and a fire alarm system like Brink's which will alert the authorities if there is a fire.