WATERFORD, Pa - Some cats once white, now stained gray from smoke and ash. Rabbits in a nearby room, looking much the same way.

The dozens of pets inside the French Creek Animal Rescue shelter near Waterford, lucky to be alive after fire stemming from a space heater damaged the facility late Sunday night.

"One of our kittens pulled the cord into its cage and started a fire," said Jessica Kellogg, the shelter's director.

One cat died in the fire, the same cat that pulled the cord into its cage, Kellogg added. "Midnight" would've likely been adopted Monday, she said.

Many of those animals were in this room near the shelter's entrance during the blaze. The smoke spread throughout the building and over temporary walls the shelter installed during renovations. The aftermath, leaving some of the animals unable to eat; some are struggling to breathe.

"Because there was a plastic cage and a plastic litter box, all the bedding, it created a lot of black smoke," said Kellogg.

But Kellogg, so used to rescuing those in need, is now watching the community rescue her and these animals. Donations of pet food are pouring in; cleaning supplies to help the repair process. Some donations have come as far away as Virginia and Hawaii.

"We were just looking for these yesterday," Kellogg exclaimed as she removed Mr. Clean "Magic Erasers" from a boxed of goods donated by a Waterford resident.

While our cameras were rolling Tuesday evening, local residents and business owners donated thousands of dollars, even offering to re-paint the shelter.

"I've brought my own personal pets here," said Jim Vollant, general manager of New Motors. The automotive dealer donated $1,000 to the shelter. "Jessica has groomed them for years and years and years. She's a great person."

That's right, Kellogg also runs a pet grooming business here. That's now on hold until the shelter is back open.

Perhaps more important than those donations, there has been an overwhelming number of people looking to foster the animals.

"These are animal people that came to help me. But then all of their friends, their family," said Kellogg.

Things aren't expected to get easier for some of the animals; Kellogg is unsure how many will survive. But she remains optimistic, despite the tragedy.

"Unfortunately she died, but she was the only one," she said. "It could've been so much worse."

French Creek Animal Rescue is still seeking donations and assistance to fully reopen. They can be reached by phone at 814-796-2342. A list of items needed can be founded on their Facebook page.