One person injured, 2 cats perish after early Thursday morning house fire on West Taylor Street in DeKalb

DeKALB - An early Thursday morning house fire on West Taylor Street injured a resident, who was taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, and took the lives of two cats in the home.

According to DeKalb fire officials, the house fire was in the 500 block of West Taylor Street and caused about $50,000 worth of damage. The cause remains under investigation, according to a news release from the DeKalb Fire Department.

Around 12:07 a.m., DeKalb firefighters were called to a home in the 500 block of West Taylor Street after a neighbor noticed fire spreading up the outside of the next-door house, the release states.

The fire appears to have started in the basement, the release states.

When firefighters arrived, they saw the home occupant was already outside and there was fire coming out of the windows. They began an interior firefighting attack with handlines, while another crewman searched inside the house for any additional occupants.

The resident who was already outside required medical attention, and was treated on scene and then taken to Kish hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the release states.

Two carts were found inside the home and removed, though resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and DeKalb Fire Chief Jeff McMaster confirmed the animals died in the fire.

The fire took about 50 minutes to get under control, the release states, though crews remained on the scene for another two hours and vented the home for hotspots. The building was deemed uninhabitable, and sustained moderate fire and heavy smoke damage.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by DeKalb fire investigators.

Crews from Cortland, Malta, Maple Park, Shabbona and Sycamore assisted, as did DeKalb police officers, ComEd and Nicor representatives.