Chicago police confirmed that a report was filed this morning and said the incident likely happened some time between 6 p.m. Monday and about 7 p.m. Thursday. No one was in custody in the thefts.



The building was open Thursday for the community pet pantry, a program in which donors can drop off pet food, said Bridgid Nolan, 34, a volunteer from Trio Animal Foundation, a Chicago non-profit that helps pay vet bills for homeless pets.



After the event ended, volunteers went inside and noticed that the facility was uncomfortably warm and wasn't getting any cooler. They went to the roof and saw that someone had taken the air conditioning units, Nolan said. The burglary was reported to police this morning.



This afternoon, the temperature in the lobby was in the mid-70s, while it was in the 80s in the area where the animals are held, Nolan estimated.



Trio brought in industrial-size fans to get air flowing through the building, "but short of getting the fans up, there's not much we can do," she said. Volunteers are also working with other rescue organizations to find other shelter for some of the roughly 80 dogs and 40 cats at the facility.



"With this weekend forecasted as one of the hottest yet, we are struggling to keep the animals as cool as possible," said Linda Estrada, Animal Welfare League Executive Director in the web statement. "In an already sluggish year with donations, this is a huge blow to us."



alwang@tribune.com