Holiday candle causes Cary House fire, kills family dog

A home near Cary was left uninhabitable and the family's dog was killed when a unattended holiday candle sparked a fire early Christmas Eve.

According to a Cary Fire Department news release, fighters received a 12:05 a.m. call that a home on the 1000 block of Spring Beach Road in an unincorporated area near the village was on fire.

One of the home's owners, a woman, was the only person in the dwelling at the time. She had been asleep, but woke up to use the bathroom and smelled the smoke, officials said. While she was able leave the home safely, the family dog was killed in the blaze.

The home had smoke detectors, which were not operating properly because they had no batteries.

Firefighters extinguished the fire in about an hour, officials said.

The home is uninhabitable, and the family will stay with friends in the area. No damage estimate is available.

Because no fire hydrants were located near the home, Fox River Grove and Nunda Rural fire departments assisted Cary firefighters by helping to transport water to the scene.