Firefighters rescued a dog from a house fire that displaced a family and left a cat dead in Island Lake Saturday morning, fire officials said.
The Wauconda Fire District responded around 11:36 a.m. Saturday to the 3800 block of Newport Drive in Island Lake for a report of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived in under six minutes to find heavy smoke showing from an attached garage and attic space of a residence.
All occupants of the home had been evacuated except for two household pets, according to Wauconda Fire District Battalion Chief John Spratt.
Firefighters stretched a hose line to the rear of the garage and made entry.
Crews encountered heavy fire conditions and were able to begin extinguishing the fire approximately three minutes after arriving, Spratt said.
The fire was extinguished and additional crews searched the home and checked for fire extension.
Spratt said firefighters rescued a dog from the residence and learned that the second family pet, a cat, had died in the fire.
Fire crews remained working on the scene for an additional two hours and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
The home was deemed uninhabitable and the residents will be living with other family members, Spratt said.
No residents or firefighters were injured. Traffic on Newport Court was redirected for approximately two hours.
The Wauconda Fire District was assisted by the Lake Zurich, Barrington-Countryside, McHenry, Countryside and Fox River Grove fire departments.
The Wauconda Fire District said residents should routinely check the batteries in their smoke detectors and have a family meeting point outside of the home for everyone to gather after evacuation.