DALLAS — A hearth that broke out at a shopping mall in Dallas on Friday morning killed greater than 500 animals, most of which had been small birds, authorities mentioned.
The 579 animals within the pet store at Plaza Latina in Northwest Dallas died from smoke inhalation, Dallas Fireplace-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans mentioned in an announcement.
The flames from the hearth by no means reached the animals. Chickens, hamsters, two canines and two cats additionally died, Evans mentioned.
The 2-alarm fireplace took about two hours and as many as 45 firefighters to extinguish round 11 a.m., Evans mentioned.
“Whereas DFR personnel did search and try rescue, all animals within the store sadly perished resulting from smoke inhalation,” Evans mentioned.
No folks had been injured within the fireplace. The construction of the massive, one-story purchasing middle was severely broken, together with {a partially} collapsed roof, Evans mentioned.
The purchasing middle contains a number of small companies and was described on its Fb web page as “a spot the place folks can go to eat, and purchase all types of Latin items and companies.” A put up on the web page in Spanish requested for prayers for the households who work there.
The reason for the hearth was not instantly decided and is underneath investigation, Evans mentioned.
