Resident, dog escape fire that leaves McHenry home uninhabitable

A resident and a dog escaped a fire late Saturday night in McHenry that left a home uninhabitable, authorities said.

McHenry Township Fire Protection District firefighters responding at 11:47 p.m. to the home on the 6000 block of Chickaloon Drive found heavy smoke rising from the attic space and spreading throughout the building.

The home's only occupant and her dog had evacuated before firefighters arrived.

Firefighters located the source of the fire on the first floor and doused the flames with water for a half-hour until it was extinguished.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Because the house is in an area that does not have fire hydrants, a box alarm was activated through the Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System to bring in additional water and first responders. Fire departments responding to the scene or providing station coverage included Lake Zurich, Wauconda, Richmond, Wonder Lake, Woodstock, Fox Lake, Round Lake, Antioch, Cary, Crystal Lake, Lake Villa and Mundelein.