Cat dies in house fire in unincorporated Lake County

A cat was killed in a fire early Saturday that left a home in unincorporated Lake County uninhabitable.

Crews responded about 3:45 a.m. to the fire at the single-story home in the 26800 block of North Genessee in unincorporated Wauconda. The first fire company that showed up reported seeing smoke and fire coming from a basement window, according to the Wauconda Fire Department.

The unincorporated area where the fire broke out doesn’t have fire hydrants, so water had to be shuttled in to battle the blaze, the fire department said. The fire was brought under control within an hour.

Damage to the home was estimated at more than $200,000, and the home was rendered uninhabitable, the fire department said.

Six people made it out of the home safely, but a cat died in the fire, the fire department said. The Red Cross was helping the displaced residents find a shelter to stay in.

An investigation revealed that the fire started in a bedroom, the fire department said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.