1 injured, 2 cats killed in Island Lake apartment fire

One person was injured and two cats were killed in an apartment fire Monday morning in northwest suburban Island Lake.

Firefighters responded shortly after 10 a.m. to a call of an appliance fire in the 4000 block of Roberts Road, and found heavy smoke in a second-story apartment, but the blaze was no longer burning, according to a statement from the Wauconda Fire District.

A resident, who was not home at the time of the fire but arrived to find smoke and heat inside her apartment, suffered from smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital, fire officials said. Three cats were inside the apartment, two of which were “overcome by smoke.”

One cat was rescued and moved outside, where fire crews provided supplemental oxygen, fire officials said. A family member took the animal to a local veterinarian clinic for further evaluation.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but fire officials determined it started in the area of the water cooler, just inside the front door. The apartment sustained “significant” heat and smoke damage.