A family has been temporarily displaced and a firefighter was injured rescuing a cat following a house fire in Evanston shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, officials said.
At approximately 8:45 a.m., the Evanston Fire Department responded to a structure fire at a residential home in the 1300 block of Dewey Avenue, said Division Chief Kimberly Kull.
First responding companies were confronted with heavy smoke and fire on the first floor. The blaze was upgraded to a box alarm, bringing in neighboring fire departments to assist with the response and to provide coverage for Evanston, Kull said.
Residents of the home were able to exit the building safely and no civilian injuries were reported, said Kull.
One firefighter was treated at a hospital after being bitten by a cat they were trying to rescue. Several other cats were also rescued from the structure.
Kull said the cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Monday afternoon.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.