Naperville firefighters probe cause of pet store blaze

An electrical problem sparked a fire Tuesday morning that caused more than $25,000 damage to a Pets Etc. store at 1212 S. Naper Blvd., Naperville, authorities said.

No injuries were reported and Division Fire Chief Mark Ziemnik said firefighters were able to save all of the small animals housed in the shop.

Employees have relocated the animals, he said.

A store employee called 911 at 8:33 a.m. to report a popping sound from an electrical panel and black smoke coming from the back of the store. The first firefighters arrived four minutes later to find thick black smoke inside the building.

Firefighters said they forced entry to the store and extinguished a small fire.

The fire was out within about 10 minutes, authorities said, but crews remained on the scene for roughly an hour to clear the smoke and conduct salvage operations.

The store has been deemed uninhabitable until repairs are made.