An extensive fire Tuesday night has rendered a home in Aurora's far south side uninhabitable, with the first fire crews arriving at a scene engulfed in flames around 10:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Squaw Valley Trail, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Aurora Fire Department dispatched 27 personnel to the blaze, and they managed to bring the fire under control within an hour.
The residence, which housed a family of five, was vacant at the time of the fire, except for their pet cat which was later rescued by an alert neighbor before the firefighters could arrive, the family who owned the home has a secondary property where they are now staying but the main body of the fire was located in the attached garage before it spread into the house and onto the second floor, according to fire officials. Despite the rapid spread of the fire, there were no injuries reported among the occupants or the responding personnel.
The welfare of the family's cat, saved by neighbors, was a small piece of good news in the wake of the destructive fire, as shared in an account obtained by WCSJ News. The quick reaction by community members reflects the tight-knit spirit that often reveals itself in times of adversity.
While the flames have been extinguished, the investigation into the cause of the devastating event by Aurora Fire Department's Investigation Team continues.
