Carpentersville firefighters rescue pit bull from house fire, second dog dies

Carpentersville firefighters rescued a pit bull from a house fire Tuesday afternoon, but a second dog died, authorities say.

Firefighters responded to the house fire in the 1500 block of Amarillo Drive about 3:40 p.m. to find flames and smoke billowing out the west side of the home, Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling said. They extinguished the fire in about 10 minutes, he said.

The couple that lives in the house wasn't home at the time of the fire, but a neighbor told firefighters that two dogs were inside, Schilling said. While searching the home, firefighters found that one of the dogs died in the fire, but they rescued a 3-year-old female pit bull. The pit bull was unresponsive but breathing, so firefighters administered oxygen through a mask at the scene for about 20 minutes before taking her to Dundee Animal Hospital, Schilling said.

By the time the dog was receiving treatment at the animal hospital, she was more responsive and had her eyes open, he said.

"This is something that firefighters normally don't do," Schilling said. "It is very gratifying to know that they were at least able to save one of the dogs. They put everything they had into saving that one dog."

Meanwhile, the couple will be displaced from the home until necessary repairs are completed, Schilling said.

The cause and total damage of the fire remains under investigation.