2 People Hurt, Several Cats Dead In Des Plaines Apartment Fire
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two people were injured and multiple cats died in an apartment fire Friday morning in northwest suburban Des Plaines.
Crews were called at 7:34 a.m. to the fire in the 1600 block of Oakton Street in Des Plaines, Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax told reporters at the scene. They arrived to find heavy smoke and fire at the building, which includes a barbershop in front and apartments in the back.
The fire was extinguished in "just a few minutes," according to Wax.
Firefighters found one person inside the building during a search, and a second person managed to get out of the building before crews arrived, Wax said. They were both treated by paramedics at the scene before being transported to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
There were multiple animals inside the building at the time of the fire, Wax said. Four cats and a dog were rescued from within and multiple others left the building on their own. However, several other cats remained trapped inside and died in the fire.
One cat was taken to an animal hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, while the other animals were being cared for by neighbors, according to Wax. The building was rendered uninhabitable by the fire.
The cause and origin of the fire remained under investigation Friday.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)