Police, firefighters, and paramedics from Cary responded about 3:55 p.m. Wednesday, December 31, 2025 to a report of a house fire in the block of 1300 Mulberry Lane in Cary. The fire was reported after an occupant returned home and encountered smoke and fire inside the residence, according to the Cary Fire Protection District.
Firefighters arrived within five minutes with smoke showing from the front of a two-story home. Due to conditions on arrival, the incident was quickly upgraded to a working fire response. Firefighters initially made an interior attack, but were met with heavy smoke and signs of partial floor collapse.
As conditions inside the house deteriorated, the interior firefighters were ordered withdrawn from the inside of the house, and operations was transitioned to a defensive strategy for the safety of the fire crews.
There was a report of a missing dog, and firefighters responded to the report by placing ground ladders to a second-floor window to gain entry into a second-floor bedroom in the home. Firefighters were unable locate the missing dog.
Next, two ladder trucks were positioned to flow streams of water from above to limit further fire spread, and to protect neighboring homes.
The fire was brought under control within approximately two hours. Firefighter continued working on scene for several hours for overhaul and continuous water flow to prevent rekindling of fire. The home and its contents are considered a total loss, according to the Cary Fire Protection District. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported; however the dog was still missing after the fire was extinguished. Initially, the the residents of the home are receiving assistance from family members. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Cary Fire was assisted by firefighters and paramedics from the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District, McHenry Township Fire Protection District, Fox River Grove Fire Protection District, Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department, and Nunda Rural Fire Protection District. Barrington Fire Department and Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District covered Cary fire stations during the incident. The Salvation Army Canteen and area dispatchers also provided support. Police officers were also on the scene for security, crowd control and other assistance.
Firefighting was mostly a night time operation, since the call was initially dispatched at 3:55 p.m. and sunset was about 4:32 p.m. Weather conditions involved an air temperature range of 35°F to 20°F with winds from the Northwest and North about 13 MPH to 20 MPH gusting up to about 24 MPH. There was some light rain, drizzle and freezing rain in the area with existing snow cover on the ground.
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