SOMERVILLE (CBS) – A woman has her cat to thank for saving her life after fire broke out in her triple-decker home on Sycamore Street early Monday morning.

Somerville Fire Chief Jim Lucia said the woman had fallen asleep on the couch with a lit cigarette in her hand.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Kendall Buhl reports

As the couch caught fire, the woman’s cat jumped on her and alerted her to the flames, Lucia said.

“She is extremely lucky,” Lucia told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

All three residents and the cat got out of the building safely.

The woman was taken to the hospital for observation, Lucia said.

The woman and two other families that live in the building are now homeless.