'You were our lives' - Heartbroken owners release statement following dog kennels fire tragedy
The heartbroken owners of a kennel where 11 dogs died in a fire on Saturday have released a statement on social media about the tragedy
Emergency services rushed to BlueRose Dog Park, on The Holloway, Swindon, at around 12.30am on Saturday morning, to reports of a major fire.
Sadly, 11 dogs perished in the fire. And now the heartbroken owner of the kennel has spoken out about the devastating incident.
On social media, BlueRose Dog Park said: "Most of you know we had a devastating fire in the early hours of Saturday morning with 11 of our beloved dogs sadly losing their lives.
"We are absolutely devastated. The dogs were not locked in and had large runs on the outside, the ones that were out, Deborah and myself managed to get out, 4 in total whilst getting injured ourselves.
"We believe the ones that weren't outside had been overcome by fumes so hopefully knew nothing about it. I would like to thank you all for your lovely messages of support and all the people who have already helped with the cleanup.
Firefighters quickly doused the fire, however, a number of dogs had sadly already been overcome by the blaze. A joint investigation was held between the fire and rescue service and police and the fire was found to not have been suspicious.
The owners continued: "We will remain open and hope you continue to support us as the dog park was not affected at all. Please bear with us as we struggle to come to terms with this tragedy.
"R.I.P. Socks, Skip, Chip, Chilli, Pepper, Hunter, Jade, Boomer, Tequila, Jack and Lyla. You were our lives."
Support has flooded in for the heartbroken dog park, with the post receiving nearly 500 likes and 200 comments of support for the owners.
South Staffordshire Police said on Facebook: "In the early hours of this morning (26 August) we were called to a report of a fire at private dog kennels off The Holloway in Swindon.
"Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were already at the scene and worked to extinguish the blaze. Sadly, eleven pet dogs died in the fire. We understand that this is an upsetting incident which has caused concern in the community.
"A joint investigation into the cause of the fire has taken place and at this time there are believed to be no suspicious circumstances."
