4 Firefighters Injured In Evanston House Fire

EVANSTON, IL — Four firefighters were injured and one cat died in a house fire Monday in Evanston, fire officials said.

Fire crews called to a report of a basement fire in the 1100 block of Florence Avenue around 9:45 a.m. arrived to find billowing black smoke coming from the rear of a single-family home and quickly upgraded the response to a second alarm, according to Deputy Chief Kim Kull.

The fire quickly spread to multiple floors of the building, and firefighters used four water lines to stop it from spreading and contain the blaze within the house where it began. Seven area fire departments helped out, and the fire was under control within an house, Kull said.

The first floor of the house partially collapsed from the fire damage, trapping two firefighters inside, according to the deputy chief. Both were quickly extricated from the building, taken to an area hospital to be evaluated and later released.

Two other firefighters also suffered minor injuries while fighting the fire and received treatment at a hospital, Kull said.

Two people inside the house were able to safely evacuated with a dog and a cat before firefighters arrived, but another cat could not be evacuated and died in the fire.

All residents have been displaced as a result of extensive smoke and fire damage, and an investigation has been opened into what caused the blaze.