Blaze claims family pets

House fire in Niles

NILES -- Family pets are deceased, but no residents were injured in a house fire Friday morning in downtown Niles.

City fire crews were called to the home at 726 N. Main St. just after 8 a.m.

No one was home when the fire started. Fire Chief John Stevens said the homeowner told firefighters four cats were inside. Along with the four cats, two ferrets were found dead at the residence.

Assistance was offered to the family, a woman and two children, by the American Red Cross, Stevens said. He also added the family has relatives with whom they can stay.

The fire damaged mainly the kitchen area, but smoke and heat damage is throughout most of the house, according to fire officials.

The damage was estimated by the department at roughly $50,000 for the property, and $25,000 for personal contents, Stevens said.

All windows and doors were left open as crews began to leave the home. Disaster restoration services arrived shortly after to begin boarding windows.

"We had a quick response because we're not too far from the station," Stevens said. "When we got here, there was fire blowing out two of the back windows, coming from the kitchen area."

When firefighters approached the residence, "They were able to knock down the bulk of the fire pretty quick," Stevens said. "But they had an extension that ran up a wall and got them into the attic. We had a pretty good fight on our hands for a while."