Villa Park
60¢
Review
also serving Oakbrook Terrace
VOL. 17 • NO. 8
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
389576
THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 2021
Fire leaves Villa Park home uninhabitable; residents escape uninjured Two dogs removed and revived; GoFundMe account raises nearly $60,000
STAFF REPORT
The Villa Park Fire Department responded to a fire at a one-story house on the 100 block of S. Princeton Avenue last week. Four people escaped the residence without injury. Firefighters removed two unresponsive dogs from the home during the fire. The emergency responders gave oxygen to the dogs. Both dogs regained consciousness and eventually recovered. Firefighters received the call for the fire at 1:09 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2. According to Villa Park Fire Chief Ron Rakosnik, the fire originated in the unfinished basement of the brick bungalow residence, which is located just west of Ardmore Avenue and just south of Kenilworth Avenue. Rakosnik stated the fire was mostly confined to the basement, although there was some heat damage to the main floor. The fire left the home uninhabitable, said Rakosnik. The chief added
that the cause of the fire was undetermined and remained under investigation. There was no estimate for damage to the residence. Rakosnik reported that a Villa Park Police officer who was at the scene was transported to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. That officer was released from the hospital. A firefighter who suffered an injury while inside the residence was transported to a hospital for observation and eventually released. Both dogs were unresponsive when they were removed from the home, said Rakosnik. One of the dogs—Duke—was first revived with a firefighter’s own mask. After Duke was moved away from the house, he was revived with what’s known as a puppy mask. The other dog—Sarge—was also revived with a puppy mask. “The pet oxygen masks were placed over the snout,” stated Rakosnik. “We’ve used them before. They really work.” The dogs were taken to DuPage Animal Hospital in Villa Park to be stabilized. They were later taken to VCA Arboretum View Animal Hos-
See FIRE, Page 7
AL STASCH PHOTOS Villa Park Review
Firefighters from Villa Park and several surrounding municipalities responded to last week’s fire at a residence on the 100 block of South Princeton Avenue. The Villa Park Fire Department was dispatched to the home shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2. According to Villa Park Fire Chief Ron Rakosnik, the fire originated in the basement of the one-story home. He said the cause of the fire, which left the residence uninhabitable, was undetermined and remains under investigation. Firefighters removed two dogs from the residence. Rakosnik said the dogs were unresponsive, but were revived with pet oxygen masks. Both dogs—Sarge and Duke— were taken to animal hospitals and eventually released. A GoFundMe account set up for the homeowners has raised approximately $60,000.
Inside:
house
Police Reports...........6 Sports �������������������� 16 Viewpoint.................8 Classifieds..............15
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KATE DRURY 630-514-9961
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