Heart-breaking photos of a man clutching his kitten after losing everything in a house fire have gone viral.
Eighty-three-year old Ali Meşe, from Ordu Province in Turkey, set his house alight by accident after trying to light a wood stove using petrol.
In the photos, a group of firefighters can be seen in the background, as well as the burnt remains of his home. Meşe is in the foreground, visibly breaking down, while clutching the tiny kitten.
Pictures of the man and his kitten were shared on the official Instagram account of The Ellen Show, with the caption: "Love is everything when his house burned to the ground he made sure to save his biggest treasure." It has been liked almost 800,000 times and has received thousands of comments.
According to the Daily Mail, neighbours alerted the fire department after seeing flames coming from the property, after the man had used petrol to help light his stove to cook on.
Fortunately, Meşe and his family managed to escape from the property and no one is reported to have been seriously injured.
The old man is said to be very fond of cats and had several as pets. Sadly, only one of the cats survived the fire, which also killed his hens.
Meşe was taken into hospital where he was treated for minor burns, but was released a day later and is doing well.
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He was photographed leaving the hospital with his beloved kitten, Sarıkız (which translates as Blond Girl), on his lap - and he looked over the moon to be reunited with his four-legged pal.
The local authorities have promised to help Meşe and his family as they come to terms with losing their home and belongings, the Daily Sabah reports.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın took to Twitter to say they would take care of the 'needs of Uncle Ali', adding: "let's keep him and his cat warm."
Source: Daily Mail; Daily Sabah
Featured Image Credit: Credit: YouTube/anadolukedisi.com