A family dog and two cats died, a second dog was rescued and a third dog is missing after a fire caused significant damage to a house near Gurnee Thursday morning.
The Gurnee Fire Department responded around 8:24 a.m. Thursday to the 36200 block of North Brookside Drive in unincorporated Gurnee for a report of a structure fire.
Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief James Pelleteri said neighbors called 911 to report the fire.
The 911 callers reported two people and two dogs were possibly trapped in the home.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames showing from the rear of the home, Pelleteri said.
The residents had evacuated on their own before firefighters arrived on the scene.
A dog and two cats were found dead inside the home, Pelleteri said. A second dog was rescued by firefighters.
A third dog remains missing. Fire crews searched the entire house for the dog, which possibly ran off.
Pelleteri said it took firefighters two hours to bring the fire under control using four hose lines and an aerial truck.
Four occupants of the home were evaluated by paramedics but did not require transport to the hospital. No firefighters were injured.
The home was deemed uninhabitable with significant damage from the fire, Pelleteri said.
The fire is not believed to be suspicious and investigators believe it started on the first floor. The cause remains under investigation.
Firefighters from Newport, Waukegan and Libertyville fire departments assisted at the scene.
Firefighters from Mundelein, Zion, North Chicago and Lake Villa covered calls in Gurnee.