2 cats die in Palatine fire

Five people escaped unharmed but two pet cats perished in a Friday afternoon apartment fire in Palatine.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Palatine firefighters responded to the 0-100 block of North Hale Street and found black smoke coming out of second-floor window of the four-unit, two-story apartment building.

The blaze was under control in about 10 minutes, authorities said.

The occupants told authorities a smoke alarm alerted them to the fire. They found smoke coming from a bedroom and were able to remove a 17-month-old toddler from a playpen in an adjacent bedroom and evacuate.

Damage estimates were unavailable and the fire remains under investigation.

The blaze left the unit uninhabitable, but residents of the three remaining apartments were allowed to return.

The Palatine Fire Department remind residents that Illinois law requires working smoke alarms on each floor of a structure and within 15 feet of any sleeping area.