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Cats saved in Cary house fire with aid of oxygen masks

All three human occupants of a house on fire in Cary made it out safely, but Cary Fire Protection District firefighters had to go into the house and use special oxygen masks to rescue two cats.

Firefighters arrived at 9:34 p.m. Friday in the 200 block of East Pearl Street to find heavy smoke coming from the house because of a fire in the basement. Firefighters extinguished the fire within 30 minutes, but found two cats suffering from smoke inhalation.

Firefighters used oxygen masks designed for animals to help the cats recover. The owner was advised to take both cats to a veterinarian for further treatment.

One firefighter was treated at the scene for a minor laceration to his head after being struck with a tool.

The basement was severely damaged by fire, and the rest of the house suffered smoke and water damage. The residents spent the night at a local hotel, and officials said they were not sure when the house would be habitable again. Fire investigators still are trying to determine how the fire started, but the blaze is not considered suspicious.

The Cary Police Department and fire departments from Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Barrington, Barrington-Countryside and Fox River Grove also responded to the scene. A cost of the damage has not yet been determined.

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