A firefighter and cat were hurt and a dog was killed after a fire destroyed a family’s home in Waukegan Tuesday morning.
The Waukegan Fire Department was called around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday to the 700 block of Massena Avenue in Waukegan for a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived in two minutes and found smoke and fire coming from the home. The fire originated in the rear of the home in the attic area.
The family’s dog, Logan, died in the fire. The family’s cat, Pumpkin, was seriously injured and rescued by firefighters. Pumpkin was transported by Waukegan Animal Control to a vet and then later transferred to an emergency pet clinic where she was stabilized.
A GoFundMe was started by the Waukegan Animals Getting Saved organization to help raise funds to treat the cat. Another GoFundMe was setup to raise funds for the family, who did not have insurance.
“Carol has spent her entire career in the healthcare field helping others and now she needs your help. Please consider helping Carol and her Family in her time in need,” Barbara Welter said on the GoFundMe page.
“Due to her husbands medical care, Carol had to make some hard choices on how to handle her bills. Carol chose to cover all the medical costs but had to cut back on other expenses to survive including insurance coverage.”
Everyone escaped the house without injuries. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. Officials said that damage was estimated at $75,000.