Dog, rabbit die in Elgin house fire

Firefighters rescued a dog, but another dog and a rabbit died of smoke inhalation in a fire at a house in Elgin.

Members of the Elgin Fire Department responded to a call at 4:27 p.m. Wednesday to the 600 block of Elma Avenue for a report of a possible structure fire with people trapped in the basement, authorities said.

Firefighters arrived in just over three minutes and found the single-story house with fire burning throughout the first floor and out the front windows. The residents were able to get out of the house by the time the fire department arrived. They had been in the basement and realized there was a fire when objects on the first floor fell to the ground above them, Fire Battalion Chief Dick Cummings said.

The fire was brought under control in about 10 minutes. The house was red-tagged with an initial damage estimate of more than $150,000.

The fire started in the front room of the house but its cause is still undetermined pending investigation, Cummings said.