Disasters · Shelter fire recoveryLombard shelter fire: Temporary housing secured for 42 catsWritten November 5, 2026 at 8:23 AM UTCTranscript0:07Forty-two cats have temporary housing arranged after a fire left their shelter0:11uninhabitable.0:12Cat Guardians has lost the use of its building, displacing the animals, and a0:17long-running volunteer rescue operation.0:20How can the shelter safely resume its work?0:22On November2, we reported that firefighters had rescued at least thirty cats, with0:27the final count still unresolved.0:30Temporary housing has since been secured for forty-two cats, and the shelter has0:35described its building as uninhabitable.0:37The fire struck Cat Guardians on East St.0:40Charles Road near North Westmore Avenue in Lombard, Illinois.0:44The all-volunteer non-profit has cared for stray and homeless cats for more than0:49thirty-five years.0:50The shelter helps cats find adoptive homes, supports foster care, and provides0:56ongoing care or permanent placement when needed.0:59Losing its physical base interrupts an operation that serves animals beyond those1:04living inside the building.1:06Firefighters brought the blaze under control Sunday night, November one.1:11Lombard police helped manage traffic, and the village asked people to avoid the area1:16so crews could work.1:17That request applied to the emergency response that night.1:20The early minimum of at least thirty cats belonged to that response.1:25The shelter later gave a more specific accounting.1:28Those developments concerned the same November one fire.1:32The initial minimum was at least thirty cats.1:35Other follow-ups put the rescue count at thirty-six.1:39Cat Guardians said volunteers received forty-two cats from fire personnel.1:44Nobody has explained whether those figures count exactly the same group.1:48We can't use the difference to count missing cats.1:51Some cats reportedly escaped during the rescue, and their later accounting hasn't1:56been explained.1:57The shelter statement that volunteers received all forty-two is its own accounting2:02of the animals.2:03Cat Guardian says no cats died in the fire.2:06Its November2 recovery statement, also named Lombard Veterinary Hospital and2:11DuPage County Animal Services, as caring for the cats, individual injuries and2:16treatment outcomes haven't been detailed publicly.2:20Temporary housing was secured for forty-two cats by November three with feral fixers2:25identified as a housing partner.2:27That gives the displaced animals places to go.2:30Although the updates haven't confirmed, Cat Guardians described its building as2:34uninhabitable on November two.2:36The animal's temporary accommodation addresses their immediate housing needs, while2:41the organization still faces the loss of the place where volunteers carried out its2:45daily work.2:46The shelter described the fire's cause as undetermined on November two.2:50A dollar damage estimate hasn't been confirmed.2:54Temporary housing is arranged, but there's still no confirmed date for Cat Guardians2:59to reopen.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
