TOWN OF CANTON, New York (WWNY) – Investigators have pinpointed the cause of a kennel fire that killed 44 dogs in St. Lawrence County.
The No Dogs Left Behind operation at Maple Ridge Kennel was destroyed in October. Flames engulfed the kennel on State Highway 68 in the town of Canton before firefighters could save the dogs inside.
St. Lawrence County fire investigators have determined the fire was accidental.
According to the cause and origin report released Friday, a fan placed about a foot away from a kerosene heater ignited.
Investigators said the fan had been put near the kerosene salamander heater on the morning of October 23. According to the report, the “temperature dropped enough for the kerosene heater to turn on, then igniting the plastic housing on the fan that was directly in front of the heater.”
The report said investigators obtained video footage of the ignition. It did not say when the fire started.
Firefighters were called to the kennel at 1 a.m. on October 24. The building was already engulfed in flames when they arrived.
The other key finding in the report is that there were no smoke alarms or alarm system in the building.
The kennel was a sanctuary for dogs rescued from Asia’s dogmeat industry and war-torn countries.
Other dogs belonging to the property owner were housed elsewhere on the land and were unharmed.
At the time of the fire, devastated kennel employees called the loss an “unimaginable tragedy.”
7 News reached out to No Dogs Left Behind founder Jeffrey Beri for comment. We’ll update this story is we hear from him.
Read the full report below:
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