Dog dies in Arlington Heights house fire, family displaced

A fire that started in an Arlington Heights kitchen early Monday night killed a family’s dog and left the home uninhabitable, officials said.

Firefighters responded to the home in the 700 block of N. Stratford Road and were able to contain most of the fire damage to the kitchen, said Arlington Heights Fire Cmdr. Bill Essling.

A neighbor saw smoking coming from the house and began banging on the front door. The neighbor realized the door was hot and called 911 at about 5:20 p.m., Essling said.

No one was home during the fire and family members were helping the residents at the scene after the blaze was extinguished, Essling said.

Fire investigators remained on the scene as of about 8:30 p.m., and the cause of the blaze remained undetermined.

The ranch-style home suffered smoke, water and soot damage throughout and was deemed uninhabitable.

The natural gas and electric companies were on the scene to shut off utilities to the home along with a board-up company.

Fire officials estimated the damage to the home at $50,000.