Officials say a dog died after being rescued from a fire that left a home engulfed in flames and damaged a second home in Zion early Friday morning.
The Zion Fire-Rescue Department and Zion Police Department responded around 3:41 a.m. Friday to the 2300 block of Gilboa Avenue in Zion for a report of a structure fire.
Zion Fire-Rescue Department Battalion Chief Eric Troy said crews arrived on the scene to find the front of the building well involved in flames.
The occupants were out of the house but they reported that a dog was still inside.
The fire also extended into the attic area of the home.
Multiple hose lines were deployed and crews had the fire under control within approximately 20 minutes, Troy said.
The missing dog was rescued but did not survive despite rescue efforts by paramedics and police officers on the scene.
Troy said the home was deemed uninhabitable due to approximately $85,000 in damage caused.
An adjacent home suffered significant heat damage from the fire.
No injuries to the residents or fire personnel were reported.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by local fire investigators along with the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, Troy said.
Firefighters from Winthrop Harbor, Beach Park, Gurnee, Pleasant Prairie and Newport assisted at the scene.
Firefighters from Libertyville and North Chicago covered calls in Zion.
Troy said it is important that families practice fire escape drills at home. “One can never know what time fire can strike.”