The community has raised over $5,000 for a woman who was left homeless after a fire damaged two townhomes and left her two dogs dead in Algonquin on Thanksgiving Day.
The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District responded around 11:57 a.m. Thursday to the 0-100 block of Cedar Grove Court in Algonquin for a report of a structure fire.
Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District Deputy Chief John Knebl said a resident came home to find a fire inside the townhome.
The resident encountered a large amount of smoke and immediately called 911.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke showing from the residence and initiated an aggressive interior attack on the fire.
The resident reported that no people were in the home but two dogs were still inside, Knebl said.
An initial search was conducted that resulted in firefighters rescuing a dog and bringing it outside.
Firefighters attempted resuscitation efforts to revive the dog but they were unsuccessful, Knebl said.
A second search was conducted and firefighters located the second dog before quickly bringing it outside.
Knebl said fire crews attempted resuscitation efforts on the second dog for 20-30 minutes but were unable to regain a pulse.
The fire, which started in the kitchen area, caused heavy damage to the townhome.
An adjacent townhome was also deemed uninhabitable due to water and smoke damage.
A GoFundMe was created by Trinity Wamsley for her sister, Alesha Wright, who lived in the home where the two dogs, Lucy and Shelby, died.
The account has raised $5,300 as of Tuesday evening for Wright, who had just moved into her townhome the prior week.
“She is beyond devastated at the loss of her babies and trying to come up with the money to have them cremated. The rest is replaceable however her loving Lucy and Shelby are not,” Wamsley said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District.