Exotic Cat Dies In Fire At Mally Mall's Las Vegas Home

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Authorities in Las Vegas are investigating the cause of a fire that damaged the home of a hip hop figure and left an exotic pet wildcat dead.

Rapper and reality TV star Rashid "Mally Mall" Jamal wasn't injured in the Thursday afternoon fire at his two-story home in southeast Las Vegas.

A Clark County fire official says firefighters discovered the cat, a caracal, unresponsive after dousing flames. The species is native to Africa, the Middle East and India, and can grow to about 40 pounds.

This Caracal Lynx was presented to London Zoo in 1958 by General J B Glubb Pasha. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

County officials told the Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://bit.ly/1VlDNKF ) the rapper had a permit for the cat.

In 2014, FBI agents served warrants at the home and Jamal's company, Las Vegas Concierge VS1, as part of a federal human trafficking investigation. No charges have been filed.