More than 20 cats killed in massive fire at Florida animal shelter: ‘Worst nightmare’
More than 20 cats were killed when a devastating fire swept through a Florida animal shelter Wednesday night, a tragic scene the facility’s director described as his “worst nightmare.”
Flames were “through the roof” when Orange County firefighters and sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando shortly after 10 p.m., authorities said. They were able to rescue all 25 dogs and 10 cats, but the room where most cats were kept burned too quickly and 23 of them could not be saved, according to the shelter and fire officials.
“If you run a shelter, this is literally your worst nightmare,” Stephen Bardy, the facility’s executive director, told news outlets in an emotional press briefing from the scene.
“To see your building in fire and know that there are animals in there that you’re charged to care for and you can’t go in... but you know, I’m grateful that the firefighters put their lives at risk to help save as many as they could,” he said.
Several OCSO deputies, along with members of @OCAS_Orlando @OCFireRescue and @petallianceGO entered the building while it was on fire and rescued numerous dogs & cats before the fire became too overwhelming. pic.twitter.com/oBKhVkgczc
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) September 16, 2021
The surviving animals were taken to another Pet Alliance shelter in Sanford, authorities said.
Bardy said there were some kittens in the shelter, but most were adult cats. Some 150 animals under Pet Alliance’s care, including many kittens, were in foster homes at the time of the incident.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
