Firefighter Bitten Rescuing 15 Cats From Burning Evanston House

EVANSTON, IL — One firefighter was injured while rescuing more than a dozen cats from a house fire Monday in Evanston, according to fire officials.

Around 8:45 a.m., fire crews were called to a report of a house on fire in the 1300 block of Dewey Avenue. They arrived to find heavy smoke and fire on the first floor, according to Division Chief Kim Kull.

Two residents were able to escape the building on their own, Kull said, one who had been working in the basement and another who had been asleep upstairs at the time. Firefighters quickly upgraded the alarm to bring in help from neighboring towns.

The division chief told Patch that firefighters rescued 15 cats from inside the home, which led to a minor injury.

"The firefighter was bit by a cat," Kull said, "in trying to extricate one of the animals."

Part of Dempster Street had to be briefly closed to allow for the staging of fire vehicles as crews battled the fire.

Kull said the fire was extinguished shortly after 9:15 a.m. Its cause remains under investigation.

The firefighter was taken to a local hospital, treated for the bite, and released Monday afternoon.