Mischievous cat causes fire after knocking a candle into an empty paper bag in Toronto

It's incredibly easy to joke with life especially when you have nine lives. Maybe the word “fire” wouldn't even catch your eye until you set your apartment ablaze by doing some catly things.

A mischievous feline named Cloud attempted to do one of the most-catly of things when he knocked a candle into an empty paper bag during Friday's freak power outage in Toronto.

According to the cat owner, Natasha Conklin, her feline was lucky to escape miraculously with some singed fur — and no other physical injuries and it was all caught on video.

She said people in Midtown Toronto and Scarborough were plunged into darkness at the time by a raccoon who made contact with equipment at a Hydro One transformer station.

It was only 5:15 p.m. when the lights went out for impacted hydro customers on Jan. 6, forcing most to bust out the flashlights and candles for dinner prep, entertainment, avoiding walls, etc.

"It was the perfect storm. There were a bunch of candles lit around the apartment thanks to the power outage," she said on Monday.

"We had also ordered takeout and the empty paper bag was up on the counter. My partner went to go use the bathroom and when he came out he smelled the smoke and saw the ashes on the counter."

Conklin's partner messaged her right away after seeing the aftermath of Cloud's mischief in their kitchen, telling her to check the home security feed in their new-ish midtown condo unit.

"I check the cameras and see baby Cloud go up on the counter and knock the paper bag onto the candle while he literally just sat there and watched it go up in flames," she said of the beautiful white cat, who presumably enjoys kicking things off tables and wants to watch the world burn as much as any other cat.

"There was no damage and no kitties were harmed, with the exception of a little singed fur). I think my partner learned a new lesson about not leaving candles unattended around the cats."

All's well that ends well, and the video footage of Cloud is funny knowing that nobody was hurt — but this story could have had a different, much sadder ending.

"Unattended candles are a no-no, especially around pets," advises The Kingsway Animal Hospital in Toronto. "Cats and dogs can topple a burning candle easily igniting surrounding objects, and large dogs can knock over a candle with a quick wag of their tail."

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