Crime & Safety

Cats Receive Oxygen; Eel and Exotic Fish Saved in Fire

No one was injured in a fire in Northfield Monday, firefighters rescued the homeowners' pets.

"It would be my first time with exotic fish and eel," said Chief Michael Nystrand, who worked with aquarian professionals to retrieve the eel and exotic fish from a 500-gallon saltwater fish tank. "You could see that there were fish, but couldn't see through the glass due to the fire damage."

A basement fire in Northfield required creative rescue work by fire crews on Monday evening, including medical attention for two cats.

While the four people inside the home escaped without injury, it was the menagerie pet collection at 2330 Burr Oak Lane that needed assistance. Two cats, one snake, an eel and several exotic fish were inside the home when a fire began in the basement about 5 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While firefighters were battling the blaze, the owners told them about their two cats still inside the home. Firefighters found the cats and paramedics gave them oxygen. Later, police took them to on Frontage Road in Northfield for further treatment.

After the fire was out, firefighters discovered a snake cage, a turtle and a toad in the home. The animals were recovered unharmed.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Earlier:

Northfield firefighters were dispatched to Burr Oak Lane off of Sunset Ridge Road for a report of a house fire. Then they called a "Code 4," or working house fire, calling in other units from the area, including members of the Northbrook, Glencoe, Winnetka, Wilmette and . In total, about 30 firefighters were on the scene.

Nystrand said that a prelimary guess at the cost of damage is about $100,000, and said that the fire's cause "may be electrical in nature, but it's still early to say that for sure."

Additionally, the fire chief said that the fire could have been worse if the people at home had not shut the basement door when they discovered the fire.

"Fortunately when the occupants were home and they heard the alarm go off, they closed the basement door, which was key to keeping the fire contained," he said. 

The firefighters left the scene about 8:15 p.m.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.