SUFFOLK, Va. - One dog and eight puppies died in a Suffolk structure fire Thursday morning.
According to Suffolk Fire & Rescue, dispatch received a call for the fire at 9:59 a.m. The first units arrived at the scene, located in the 6100 block of Old Myrtle Road, at about 10:09 a.m.
Battalion Chief Demitri Wilson said that when crews arrived, they found two separate shed-type structures at the residence, both on fire.
Before firefighters arrived, two off-duty Suffolk firefighters who live nearby helped move 20 dogs in a gated kennel to the farthest part of the kennel to avoid danger. One dog and eight puppies that were located inside one of the kennels perished.
The property owner possesses a current kennel license, Suffolk Animal Control said.
The fire was called under control at 10:26 a.m. Two nearby vehicles sustained heat damage, but there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.
The immediate area remains closed to through traffic until emergency vehicles are removed.
The Fire Marshal’s Office will be investigating the cause of the fire.
