RUMFORD — Tim Fair has had a rough go of things this week.

At midnight on Tuesday, Fair watched helplessly as a devastating fire threatened the lives of neighbors next door at 82 Maine Ave. All occupants of the 11-unit apartment complex escaped the fire, but the building was a total loss.

In the nights since the fire, Fair has been kept awake by the nonstop alerts of that building’s battery-powered fire alarm system, which remains buried and beeping under a mountain of charred rubble.

Earlier in the week, Fair watched as work crews boarding up the building heard a cat meowing from somewhere in the rubble, but failed to find the animal. As they boarded up the house, Fair persuaded them to leave a small hole for the cat to get out.

On Thursday, Fair placed food and water outside of the exit, and waited. A few hours later, he returned to the area.

“My wife told me, ‘Go check it, see if it came out and ate,'” Fair said. “It was sitting 6 feet inside the door just standing there.”

What Fair found was a small, sooty black cat, with white paws and a white stripe running down its belly. Although the cat didn’t have any tags, it matched the description of a feline that ran out of the basement when firefighters demolished the upper stories of the ruined building late Tuesday morning.

“It’s a similar description to what ran out the basement door that day,” Fair said. “During the night it must have gone back home, looking for its home. She’s been stuck in the basement.”

The cat seemed to be in good condition Friday, if a bit smoky. Because Fair doesn’t know the animal’s name, he has taken to calling her Miracle.

“Her paws are a little gray,” Fair said. “I’m going to give her a bath, but I don’t want to stress her out any more than what she’s already been going through.”

Miracle is the second animal to be rescued from the burned-out building. On Tuesday, searchers found a tiny Pomeranian named Max huddling on his owner’s bed, just hours after firefighters demolished the upper stories of the charred and unstable building. Several other cats and dogs are believed to have perished in the fire.

By Friday morning, Fair had begun looking for the cat’s owners, visiting area businesses and posting messages on Facebook. He also planned to call the local animal control officer to help reunite the feline with her family.

If no one comes forward to claim Miracle, Fair said he would be willing to adopt the cat.

“If nobody does step up and claim it, I may end up keeping her myself,” Fair said. “We love her. She’s just such a sweet cat.”