A Cary home was deemed a total loss after a fire Wednesday afternoon caused part of the structure to collapse.

A dog was missing after the blaze, despite firefighters’ attempts to locate and rescue the animal using ground ladders to second-floor windows.

The Cary Fire Protection District was called to the scene on the 1300 block of Mulberry Lane about 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve after an occupant reported arriving home to find smoke and fire inside the two-story structure. Crews arrived within five minutes and quickly upgraded the incident’s response level.

Alex Vucha, the district’s public information officer, described in a news release how firefighters attacked the blaze:

“Initial crews deployed hose lines and made an aggressive interior fire attack but encountered heavy smoke conditions and signs of partial collapse on the first floor,” Vucha wrote.

“As interior conditions deteriorated and structural concerns increased, crews were withdrawn from the structure and operations transitioned to a defensive strategy,” he said.

“During operations, ground ladders were placed to a second-floor window in an attempt to locate and rescue a reported missing dog. Firefighters made entry into a second-floor bedroom; however, the animal was not located. Two ladder trucks were positioned and began flowing water from above to limit fire spread and protect surrounding exposures,” according to the release.

It took about two hours to bring the fire under control, and personnel remained on scene for an additional hour “to conduct overhaul operations and continued water flow to fully extinguish remaining hot spots,” Vucha said.

There were no injuries reported but the home and its contents are considered a “complete loss,” and the dog remained missing as of early Thursday. The family is receiving assistance from relatives.

The fire remains under investigation.

Cary was assisted by crews from Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, McHenry Township, Fox River Grove, Crystal Lake, Nunda and the Salvation Army Canteen. Barrington and Barrington Countryside crews provided station coverage, and area dispatchers supported operations throughout the incident.