EDGERTON — Investigators say it’s possible that a family’s pet may be responsible for a house fire in Edgerton where one cat died and the home was left uninhabitable.
According to a news release, Lakeside Fire-Rescue and Edgerton Police units were alerted by the Rock County 9-1-1 Center at 8:14 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, reporting a home on fire on West Fulton Street in the City of Edgerton.
The caller was a passerby who reported seeing flames over the roof from the back of the house. Lakeside Fire-Rescue units from Edgerton and Milton were dispatched.
The first fire unit arrived in 4 minutes-29 seconds and confirmed they had fire through the roof in the back of the two-story residence.
The incident was upgraded to a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, which added additional fire and support units from Janesville and Stoughton Fire Departments. The Town of Turtle Fire Department was also requested to provide an engine to stand by in case of another incident in the Lakeside region, and Wisconsin State Patrol assisted Edgerton PD with traffic control.
Fire crews confirmed there was no one home at the time of the fire, and were successful in bringing the fire under control in approximately 23 minutes; although the fire had spread to multiple areas in the home and attic which required extensive overhaul to confirm all areas of fire were extinguished.
Fire officials say the residents of the home had left at approximately 5 p.m. that day, and investigators believe the fire started at some point after 7 p.m. in the kitchen area of the home.
The exact cause remains under investigation, although it is not suspicious and appears to potentially have been caused by a family pet.
In total two dogs and two cats were inside at the time of the fire.
Fire crews rescued both of the dogs and one of the cats who were treated by EMS personnel for smoke inhalation.
The second cat succumbed to smoke inhalation prior to fire crews arriving.
Fire personnel cleared the scene at approximately 11 p.m., with a smaller fire crew providing fire watch overnight in case of any flareups.
The home was uninhabitable, and the family members were able to stay overnight with other family members who live in the area.
The structure had working smoke detectors that were active when fire crews arrived, but was not equipped with automatic fire sprinklers.