Shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday, Belvidere responds to a home in the 700 block of North State Street in Belvidere for a report of a porch fire.
Once on the scene, firefighters say the two outside stairways were fully engulfed with fire. Once the residents were outside of the home, they notified officials that cats were still inside. Shortly after, firefighters initiated an offensive attack by sending crews through the front of the home to look for the cats.
At this time, Belvidere Fire upgraded the alarm and 10 different departments arrived to assist. Officials say they were able to rescue one cat but three others perished in the blaze.
There were no civilian or firefighter injures as a result of this incident. Residents were put into contact with the Red Cross and Salvation Army for assistance.