Wilmette house fire claims lives of three pets

Multiple pets were found deceased on Tuesday afternoon when emergency units responded to a house fire in Wilmette.

Wilmette Fire Chief Brian Lambel said the department responded at 12:09 p.m. to multiple calls of a kitchen fire in the 600 block of Hibbard Road.

The fire reportedly was contained to the kitchen and was extinguished by 12:30 p.m. No people were injured and six cats were rescued; however, two dogs and one cat were found dead, Lambel reported.

It is not yet clear if anyone was home when the fire began, and it remains under investigation.

Lambel said smoke damaged much of the home, and the incident caused more than $200,000 worth of damage.

Several area fire departments assisted Wilmette, including Winnetka, Evanston, Northfield, Glencoe, Highland Park, Glenview, Skokie and Morton Grove.

Lambel said Tuesday’s fire was at least the third house fire in the past five weeks. While the cause of Tuesday’s fire has not been established, he warned residents to use caution with common causes of residential fires, such as electrical cords, oily rags and cloths, and cooking appliances.

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