Officials investigating Addison fire that killed 2 cats

A house fire near Addison Thursday killed two cats and displaced a family, fire officials said.

Neighbors reported the fire just before noon in the single-family, one-story home in the 20W300 block of Diversey Avenue in an unincorporated area near Addison, said Chuck Baxa, Addison battalion chief.

The residents were home at the time, and able to escape without harm, he said. However, the family's two cats did not survive. Fire officials believe the blaze started in an attached garage and then extended into and throughout the attic. "The damage was about half of the house," Baxa said. "It went through the garage and into the attic, which was consumed by fire. The rest of the house was smoke and water damage."

The cause is unknown but fire officials continue to investigate.

Addison firefighters upgraded the blaze to a box alarm to bring in additional help running hose a long distance to the nearest city fire hydrant. They were assisted by: Elmhurst, Glenside, Itasca, Lombard, Wooddale, Bensenville, and Bloomingdale.