Temporary housing secured for 42 cats after Lombard animal shelter fire

Cat Guardians, a 35-year-old Lombard shelter for stray and homeless cats, burned Sunday night, leaving the shelter uninhabitable and its 42 cats without permanent homes. Shelter volunteers took all 42 saved cats from the fire department, according to a Monday social media post from Cat Guardians. “We are grateful beyond words to all the fire and police personnel that assisted with the emergency situation and acted quickly to get every cat to safety,” Beth Egofske, Cat Guardians president, said in the post. “We are also extremely thankful to the emergency responders who worked to put out the fire. The assistance of Lombard Veterinary Hospital and DuPage County Animal Services is sincerely appreciated!”The Lombard Fire Department responded to a call at 8:22 p.m. Sunday reporting a fire at the single-family home that housed the shelter, according to a village update. Lombard fire crews arrived at the blaze at 8:27 p.m. Crews found flames coming from the east side of the building and smoke