A fierce overnight fire engulfed a Texas animal hospital, killing nearly all of pets sleeping inside.
Thirty-eight of the 40 pets being treated at Kimbrough Animal Hospital in Longview died when the two-alarm blaze broke out late Tuesday.
The two surviving animals were taken to another veterinary hospital, said Longview Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary.
Electrical components in the hospital’s office sparked the fire, Zackary told the Longview News-Journal. Flames quickly spread to the area where the animals were kept.
The building collapsed in the fire, and firefighters sifted through the smoldering rubble to hunt for any surviving pets.
The deceased animals were taken to a building next door so heartbroken owners could identify them.
Kenneth Kimbrough, the hospital’s owner, is a community veterinarian who just remodeled the 1980 clinic. He hosted an open house to show off its new looks just last weekend, employees said.
“(Kimbrough) is just numb right now and in shock,” former hospital receptionist Karen Hart told the newspaper. “All of those animals were precious. We love them like family.”
The hospital said it was working to notify all the pets’ owners — a difficult task since all of the clinics’ records were destroyed in the blaze, KLTV reported.
“The thought of the owners hearing this news is just devastating,” said Robin Maley, who often boards her two dogs at the hospital. Neither of her pups were in the building at the time of the fire. “I can’t imagine him having to call those families.”
With News Wire Services
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