Firefighters rescued a dog and a seriously injured man from a house fire in McHenry that also left a police officer injured Saturday morning, fire officials said.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 12:09 a.m. Saturday to the 600 block of South Meadow Road in McHenry.
Paramedics initially responded to an unknown medical problem call.
Paramedics and police arrived minutes later to find a small one-story ranch home with smoke coming from the front door, according to Battalion Chief David Harwood.
Crews immediately entered the residence, rescued one victim and moved them to an awaiting ambulance.
The adult male victim was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry with serious injuries, Harwood said.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was initially placed on standby at the hospital but ended up not transferring the victim to another hospital.
Firefighters searched the remainder of the home for other occupants while also searching for the fire.
No one else was located inside the residence but crews found a dog and rescued it.
The fire was quickly located and extinguished within five minutes of arrival, Harwood said.
The house was deemed uninhabitable and a damage estimate was not immediately available.
A police officer suffered smoke inhalation and paramedics transported them to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry. The officer was in good condition.
The Crystal Lake, Nunda Rural and Wonder Lake fire departments assisted at the scene.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.