GEORGETOWN, Texas — A fire broke out at a pet-boarding facility in Georgetown Saturday night, causing the death of 75 dogs.

Twenty firefighters from the Georgetown Fire Department arrived at Ponderosa Pet Resort at 11 p.m. after being notified. Four minutes into making it on the scene, the building was engulfed in smoke.

While all the dogs at the resort perished, no human lives were lost in the fire.  

“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.”

The facility will contact family members of the dogs to make arrangements to retrieve their deceased pets.

This fiery tragedy is still under investigation to discover the cause. Also, investigators will see if any fire suppression or smoke alarms were present, and the pet resort’s own is being cooperative.

According to the Georgetown Fire Department, “Federal, state and Georgetown fire codes do not require sprinkler systems for the use and size of the facility.”

The Georgetown Fire Department posted its news conference of the fire on Facebook.

 

 

More updates will come as this story develops.