Two dogs die, firefighter injured in Buffalo Grove townhouse fire

Two family dogs died in a Buffalo Grove townhouse fire Tuesday that appeared to be electrical in nature, authorities said Wednesday.

One firefighter was also injured battling the fire on the 600 block of Le Parc Circle, but he was treated and released from Northwest Community Hospital with minor injuries, according to Battalion Chief Brian Beck.

The fire started just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the middle residence of a six-unit building and spread to two other units on the south end of the building, Beck said. The fire had already spread into the wall and roof space before firefighters' arrival, and was beginning to spread to the other units. That prompted authorities to call for a box alarm response, which brought 17 area fire departments to the scene.

Residents of the three units were displaced but none were injured, Beck said. The fire was extinguished within 90 minutes.

Authorities believe the fire may have been smoldering for an extended period since two neighbors reported to investigators they had smelled smoke as early as 3:30 p.m. Another neighbor walked around the townhouse unit before firefighters arrived, but didn't see any smoke or fire, according to a fire department news release.

The resident of the unit where the fire began was alerted by a message on his cellphone from a "smart" thermostat that showed the temperature in his house had reached 95 degrees. The resident called his wife, who arrived shortly thereafter and tried to rescue their dogs, authorities said.

Fire investigators remained on scene until 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.