A fast-moving fire swept through a large, New York-based dog rescue Thursday night, killing every animal inside, officials said.
Just before 1 a.m., Canton Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Robert Crowe reported crews responded to Maple Ridge Kennels along State Highway 68, for a reported structure fire. The kennel is in Canton, a village just south of the U.S.-Canadian border about 130 miles northeast of Syracuse.
Prior to firefighter response, Crowe said, a passerby earlier had spotted the flames coming from the building and called 911.
In a post on social media, firefighters said they were met with heavy fire in the kennel building on the property which housed No Dogs Left Behind, a non-profit organization that works to rescue dogs from the overseas meat trade industry.
“Unfortunately, due to the volume of fire, the animals housed in the building perished,” fire officials wrote in the post.
The Associated Press reported more than 40 dogs died in the fire.
‘We are terribly heartbroken’
No firefighters or civilians were injured.
“We are terribly heartbroken,” the New York City-based non-profit, operated by Jeffrey Beri, posted on social media after the fire at its upstate Canton facility. “Each dog was a member of our family. Tragically, they are victims once again. We have no words to express our grief.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Beri and fire officials.
According to its website, the group operate “boots on the ground in Asia, fighting on the front lines to rescue dogs from the illegal dog-meat trade.”
“No Dogs Left Behind works hands-on with local activists through emergency response, pulling dogs directly from slaughterhouses, dog meat trucks, wet markets and traffickers,” the site reads. “Our mission extends beyond borders worldwide, advocating for the creation and enforcement of animal welfare laws, and raising awareness for a cruelty-free, sustainable world in which no animal is violated, exploited, tortured or slaughtered for commercial goods or profit.”
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday by the St. Lawrence County Fire Investigation Team.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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