Dogs killed in fire at rescue centre

Friday 19 February 2016

Four dogs were killed at a fire in a rescue centre at First Tower last night.

The fire started in the kitchen of the home on St Aubin’s Inner Road, which blocked their escape from the house to the garden outside.

Firefighters were called when the two owners of the house came home to find smoke alarms going off and smoke coming out of the kitchen.

When they called firefighters, they dispatched two fire engines and sent firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using a high-pressure hose reel to put out the blaze.

But sadly, it was too late to save three of the six dogs that had been trapped by the flames and smoke – the remaining dogs were taken to a vet’s surgery, but one of them died overnight.

The house is understood to be a sanctuary registered under the Animal Welfare (Jersey) Law 2004 which takes in animals from southern Ireland and Spain to rehome them.

Jersey Fire and Rescue Service Group Commander Martyn Maguire said that it had been a difficult incident for his crew.

“We received a call just before 5 pm from the owners who had just arrived home, and their smoke alarms were going off and there was smoke in the house,” he said.

“They are a dog rescue centre. We got a call and attended with two appliances and there was a fire in the kitchen, but the premises had dogs inside. Unfortunately three dogs perished at the scene and a further one perished over night.

“There was a good number of dogs saved by the Fire Service and paramedics and the owners working together.

“It was not very nice. Apart from the owners, there were no people injured which was a good thing, but for the owners it was very, very traumatic.

“They are dog lovers who do rescues, and we have a good number of dogs that were saved – it was everything from a young puppy through to a lurcher.

“The dogs had a bit of a free roam around the bottom half of the house and can also get outside, but unfortunately the route out of the house was through the kitchen which was there the fire was.”

He confirmed that the fire was under investigation, but that it was not through to be suspicious. The cause of the blaze is thought to have been electric.