Firefighters rescued a cat from a home that caught on fire, sending heavy flames and smoke from the residence, in McHenry Tuesday evening, authorities said.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry Police Department responded around 6:12 p.m. Tuesday to the 6000 block of Jordan Court in McHenry for a report of a structure fire.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ryan Mastandrea said crews arrived on the scene in six minutes.
They discovered a single-story residence with heavy flames showing from the side of the house with the attic also involved in fire.
The fire sent heavy smoke into the sky, with fire crews reporting they could see the smoke header as they were responding.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level, bringing additional fire departments to the scene and to cover McHenry fire stations.
All residents were out of the house when the fire department arrived, Mastandrea said.
Firefighters initially deployed hose lines to extinguish the fire from the outside.
They later began an aggressive interior fire attack as a search of the home was simultaneously performed, Mastandrea said.
Mastandrea said a cat was rescued by firefighters from the burning home.
The fire was deemed under control within 30 minutes. No injuries were reported to anyone.
The Round Lake, Richmond, Spring Grove, Wauconda, Wonder Lake, Cary and Woodstock fire departments assisted.
The home was deemed uninhabitable and a damage estimate was not immediately available, Mastandrea said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.