Two dogs were rescued safely by firefighters after a fire caused major damage to a house in Winthrop Harbor, leaving the residents homeless Sunday evening, fire officials said.
The Winthrop Harbor Fire Department and Winthrop Harbor Police Department responded around 5 p.m. Sunday to the 1400 block of 3rd Street in Winthrop Harbor for a report of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke showing from a single-story, single-family residence, according to Winthrop Harbor Fire Chief Rocco Campanella.
Four people were inside the home at the time of the fire. They called 911 and evacuated.
The incident was upgraded to a Working Still Alarm to bring numerous additional fire departments to the scene to assist.
Campanella said firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, which caused major damage to the home.
The fire was brought under control in approximately 30 minutes.
Fire crews conducted searches of the residence and located two dogs who were trapped inside.
They safely rescued the animals and brought them outside, Campanella said. They were in good condition and turned over to the residents.
There were no injuries reported to any firefighters or occupants of the home.
Investigators say the fire originated behind a clothes dryer and they are looking into the fire possibly being electrical in nature.
Damage was estimated at $100,000, Campanella said. The house was deemed uninhabitable.
The family living in the home was left displaced and sought alternative living arrangements elsewhere.
The Waukegan, Pleasant Prairie, Zion, Beach Park, Gurnee and Newport fire departments assisted at the scene.
“We thank our mutual aid partners for their quick response and assistance,” the fire department said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Winthrop Harbor Fire Department.