UPDATE @ 4:20 p.m.: Springfield firefighters rescued two animals from a house fire this afternoon but found one cat dead inside.
First crews on the scene spotted minor flames coming from the first floor in back of the home on Center Street, said Battalion Chief Matt Smith, Springfield Fire Division.
Crews quickly knocked out the flames and worked to ventilate smoke from the home.
A rabbit and cat were found alive inside the home, but another cat was found dead. It appeared the dead cat might have died before the fire, crews said.
The Springfield Fire Marshal has been called to investigate.
Reports of a person being evicted from the home earlier in the day make the fire appear possibly suspicious, Smith said, but as of now the cause of the fire is undetermined.
The first floor of the home suffered extensive fire damage, he said, and smoke damage to the second story of the home.
FIRST REPORT
Fire crews are in the 700 block of South Center Street in Springfield for a house fire.
About 3:30 p.m. today, flames were reported coming from the windows when firefighters arrived.
Springfield Fire/Rescue Division crews on scene have broken out some windows to ventilate the home.
No injuries have been reported, but the local Humane Society has been requested to the scene.
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