Two cats rescued from burning Mundelein home Tuesday morning

Two cats were rescued from a two-story home in Mundelein that caught fire and was severely damaged Tuesday morning.

Mundelein Fire Chief Bill Lark said the home's occupants were at work when the house, located on the 200 block of North Prairie Road, caught fire. By the time a neighbor noticed the fire and called 911 at around 10:13 a.m., there was heavy smoke pouring out of the top of the house.

"It's unfortunate no one was home, we didn't find out about it until the fire was almost through the roof," Lark said. "There's no lessons to be learned here, it's just unfortunate."

Lark said fire crews hauled hoses inside the house to fight the fire which they believe started in a small storage area on the second floor before getting into the walls and into the attic.

Lark said the house is not a total loss, but it is currently uninhabitable and will require extensive repairs.

"There was extensive smoke and fire damage to the second floor," Lark said. "But the first floor and basement have water damage only.

Lark said his crew received help from Countryside Fire Protection District, Libertyville Fire Department, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District, Wauconda Fire District, Lake Villa Fire Protection District, Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District, Grayslake Fire Protection District and Fox Lake Fire Protection District.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Lark estimated the fire caused around $150,000 in damage.