MAPLETON – Twenty-two dogs died in a kennel fire near Moorefield on Friday morning.
Mapleton deputy fire chief Tom Wood said the owners of the Concession 8 property called in the blaze just after 9am on March 15.
“We were there within minutes,” said Wood, who noted the property is just outside Moorefield, and not far from the fire hall there.
When firefighters arrived they saw “heavy smoke coming out of the eaves and from the backside of the kennel,” he added.
Crews from both the Moorefield and Drayton stations responded, and they were assisted by firefighters and two tankers from Palmerston.
About 30 firefighters in total were on the scene, Wood told the Advertiser.
When they entered the wood-frame, board-and-batten building there were flames in the ceiling, he added.
Visibility wasn’t great, but it was too late regardless to save the dogs.
“They were all gone before we got there,” Wood suggested. “Once we found them they were all deceased.”
All 22 dachshunds in the building died, including two puppies, and they were turned over to the owners, he added.
No people were injured in the blaze, though two property owners were checked out on-scene by paramedics.
Wood said it was a tough day for both the owners and firefighters given the loss of the dogs.
He estimates damage to the building, a “well constructed” and insulated 25-by-40-foot kennel with in-floor heating, at about $70,000.
“One end is burnt pretty good, but it’s all interior,” he said, adding fire crews did have to remove a portion of one wall to fight the fire.
Firefighters cleared the scene at about 12pm, said Wood.
The fire is not considered suspicious and Wood suggested the cause, while still under investigation, is likely electrical.
