LEWISTON – A 15-year-old boy suffered burns to his hands Friday while trying to rescue his pets from an apartment fire.

The boy was taken to Central Maine Medical Center for treatment, said Peter Morrell, inspector/investigator for the Lewiston Fire Department. Officials did not release the boy’s name.

Fire broke out in the apartment at 57 Tall Pines Drive just before 11:45 a.m. It started in one of the home’s bedrooms.

The boy lived in the home with his younger sister and his mother. They also shared the apartment with three cats and more than one rabbit, Morrell said.

The rabbits made it out safe, he said. The cats appear to have fled the scene.

Morrell estimated damage at around $40,000.

The State Fire Marshal’s office was called to the scene, a move that is mandated whenever someone is hurt in a fire.