Several dogs, including six puppies, were found dead after emergency crews responded to a shed fire Sunday afternoon behind Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church on Yonge Street North in Elmvale.
Springwater Fire and Emergency Services were called shortly after 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 about a fully involved blaze.
“Upon arrival, there was a bystander trying to extinguish the flames with a five-gallon pail," Deputy Fire Chief Jeff French told BarrieToday.
The shed was located in a wooded area.
“There was one large dog running around the property,” he said.
French said they could see some belongings around the shed, and firefighters weren't sure if anyone was inside the structure or not.
“The crews did a knock-down of the fire, got into the shed and found remains of an adult dog and six puppies inside,” he said.
French said the small structure appeared to be a makeshift shed for the dogs.
“We did not locate the people that were living there (in the area of the shed, but) people were known to be living around that area,” he said.
No cause for the fire has been determined and the blaze remains under investigation.
“It’s hard to speculate at this time what took place until we can actually talk to somebody,” French said.
“We did find the remnants of maybe a heat lamp in there, something maybe for the puppies to keep warm, but I can’t prove that was the cause of (the fire),” he added.
