Dog perishes in Elgin house fire

A family dog was killed in a structure fire in the 200 block of Michigan Street in Elgin, fire officials said.

Lt. Eric Hopp said crews saw flames shooting from a walkout basement when arriving on the scene at just after 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Firefighters attacked the flames through the basement, but the fire spread rapidly through the walls of the older home.

"It took about 30 minutes for us to knock it down," he said. "When it got in the walls, we had to chase it through the house."

The pit bull was in the basement of the home and seemed to succumb to smoke inhalation, Hopp said.

The home was occupied at the time, though no humans or firefighters were injured. The homeowner phoned for help from a neighbor's home after escaping the fire, Hopp said.

The home sustained about $75,000 in damages, and was deemed uninhabitable by the fire department.

He said the fire remains under investigation, though is not considered to be suspicious in nature, Hopp said.