Watch the video above for more on this story.A devastating fire Saturday night killed at least 75 dogs at a pet resort in Texas.Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, crews with the Georgetown Fire Department were dispatched to Ponderosa Pet Resort in Gerorgetown, Texas, in response to a report the facility had caught fire.When firefighters arrived on the scene, about four minutes after receiving the call, they observed heavy smoke and fire coming from the building.Despite the efforts made by the firefighters, all the pets inside the pet-boarding facility died, authorities said. All in all, 59 families lost their pets.“We know each dog that died in this fire was a cherished member of someone’s family, so our heart goes out to all those who were affected by this tragic fire,” Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan said. “We believe the dogs at the facility likely died due to smoke inhalation, not the flames from the fire. We are working as quickly as we can to include the investigation, so pets can be returned to their grieving family members as soon as possible.” Arson investigators are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire, as well as whether there were any fire suppression or smoke alarms in the building.As the community and pet owners mourn, there’s a memorial outside of the Ponderosa Pet Resort’s fence that keeps growing. Photos of dogs, flowers, notes and even toys were placed in the holes of the fence.“Yeah, we never thought this would happen,” Don Richard told KXAN. “That’s for sure.”Don and his wife Pam Richard just got married on Friday, boarding their two puppies Bunny and Clyde. The couple was set to pick their puppies up on Sunday.“They were buddies, they would play and run,” Don said.“The building was not occupied by humans, but by no indication do I want to lead anyone to believe that that is any less tragic,” Sullivan said Sunday. “It is extremely heart-wrenching for us as first responders. My heart just dropped when I got the address and knew exactly what location we were going to.”Ponderosa does make it clear in its boarding policies that staff members feel pets sleep better at night when no one is there, and it’s quiet, which is why staff leaves.“There’s no reason this place shouldn’t have had someone here all the time,” Don said.The Richard family said they wouldn’t have left Bunny and Clyde if they knew the resort was caring for as many animals as they were. They feel leaving that many animals without a staff member on-site overnight was negligent.“Hopefully they were already asleep so they didn’t panic,” Pam said.The couple said they’ve started a petition to try to create change in Georgetown, preventing animals who are in professional care from being left unattended.KPRC in Houston and KXAN in Austin contributed to this report.
Watch the video above for more on this story.
A devastating fire Saturday night killed at least 75 dogs at a pet resort in Texas.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, crews with the Georgetown Fire Department were dispatched to Ponderosa Pet Resort in Gerorgetown, Texas, in response to a report the facility had caught fire.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, about four minutes after receiving the call, they observed heavy smoke and fire coming from the building.
Despite the efforts made by the firefighters, all the pets inside the pet-boarding facility died, authorities said. All in all, 59 families lost their pets.
“We know each dog that died in this fire was a cherished member of someone’s family, so our heart goes out to all those who were affected by this tragic fire,” Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan said. “We believe the dogs at the facility likely died due to smoke inhalation, not the flames from the fire. We are working as quickly as we can to include the investigation, so pets can be returned to their grieving family members as soon as possible.”
Arson investigators are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire, as well as whether there were any fire suppression or smoke alarms in the building.
As the community and pet owners mourn, there’s a memorial outside of the Ponderosa Pet Resort’s fence that keeps growing. Photos of dogs, flowers, notes and even toys were placed in the holes of the fence.
“Yeah, we never thought this would happen,” Don Richard told KXAN. “That’s for sure.”
Don and his wife Pam Richard just got married on Friday, boarding their two puppies Bunny and Clyde. The couple was set to pick their puppies up on Sunday.
“They were buddies, they would play and run,” Don said.
“The building was not occupied by humans, but by no indication do I want to lead anyone to believe that that is any less tragic,” Sullivan said Sunday. “It is extremely heart-wrenching for us as first responders. My heart just dropped when I got the address and knew exactly what location we were going to.”
Ponderosa does make it clear in its boarding policies that staff members feel pets sleep better at night when no one is there, and it’s quiet, which is why staff leaves.
“There’s no reason this place shouldn’t have had someone here all the time,” Don said.
The Richard family said they wouldn’t have left Bunny and Clyde if they knew the resort was caring for as many animals as they were. They feel leaving that many animals without a staff member on-site overnight was negligent.
“Hopefully they were already asleep so they didn’t panic,” Pam said.
The couple said they’ve started a petition to try to create change in Georgetown, preventing animals who are in professional care from being left unattended.
KPRC in Houston and KXAN in Austin contributed to this report.
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