Inverness fire kills 3 cats, leaves home uninhabitable

A Wednesday morning fire killed three cats and left an Inverness home uninhabitable, according to the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District.

Capt. Ed McGarry said firefighters were called to the scene about 11:30 a.m. by a passer-by who noticed the single-family home in the 100 block of Poteet Avenue was on fire.

McGarry said no one was in the home at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries, but three cats died. He said the fire started somewhere on the first floor, and an investigation into the cause is ongoing.

The home is in an area of Inverness that has no fire hydrants. McGarry said about eight other fire departments helped extinguish the fire in less than 10 minutes.

“It’s a pretty bad loss inside,” McGarry said, adding that the first floor was “significantly involved” and the second floor had extensive smoke damage.

McGarry estimated damages at between $300,000 and $400,000.