A “fast-moving fire” that ripped through an animal rescue sanctuary in upstate New York on Thursday tragically killed all dogs in the facility, the group said in a message shared on social media.
“We write today with our hearts terribly broken, with tragic and devastating news,” No Dogs Left Behind said in a message confirming the blaze at Maple Ridge Kennels, the nonprofit’s dog-boarding facility located in Canton, roughly 130 miles north of Syracuse.
The blaze was first reported in the early hours of Thursday. A witness called 911 to report “flames coming from a building,” Canton’s Assistant Fire Chief Robert Crowe said in a news release.
Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 1:10 a.m., when they were met with heavy fire in the kennel building.
“Unfortunately, due to the volume of fire, the animals housed in the building perished,” Crowe said, adding that no firefighter or civilian casualties were reported.
According to local television station WWNY, the fire killed 44 dogs.
All 13 firefighters who responded to the scene were back in service just after 6 a.m., officials said.
According to the nonprofit, the incident occurred “in the overnight hours, with our overnight staff asleep.” It’s unclear where the overnight staff were at the time of the fire.
No Dogs Left Behind is a New York City-headquartered organization that fights to end the dog meat trade in Africa and Asia. A spokesperson for the group didn’t immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the St. Lawrence County Fire Investigation Team.