WPBN: During the time that firefighters were working to put out a big fire in the building, hundreds of animals that were located in a pet store that was located in a shopping center in Dallas tragically lost their lives.
The Plaza Latina retail center, which is situated in the Asian Trade District of the city, was the location where the fire broke out. At approximately nine o’clock on Friday morning, Dallas Fire-Rescue units responded to a 911 call that reported the fire situation.
As soon as they arrived, the firefighters found the building completely engulfed in flames, which prompted them to sound a second alert in order to bring in extra resources.
As a result of the incident, dozens of firefighters were necessary to put out the flames, and it took several hours to bring the situation under control.
Although there were no injuries sustained by any people as a result of the tragedy, the animals suffered a terrible loss.
An animal rescue organization reportedly collected a total of 579 dead animals from the area following the incident, as reported by Dallas Fire-Rescue. Despite the fact that the bulk of these casualties were small birds, there were also hens, hamsters, two dogs, and two cats among the victims.
During an interview with the Spanish-language station KXTX-TV, the proprietor of the pet company located in the shopping mall disclosed that approximately 500 of the animals had failed to survive as a result of inhaling smoke.
There were only a few creatures that were able to survive the fire, and among them were a pig, a couple of puppies, two tortoises, and a few bunnies. The animals that were able to survive were rescued and given emergency medical attention.
All of the firefighters who were there at the incident tried valiantly to save the animals that were still alive, even performing resuscitation procedures on the puppies who were recovered.
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Those who had congregated outside the retail complex were present at the time, and the scene was extremely overpowering for them. It was stated that many people were moved to tears as they witnessed the attempts that the firefighters were making to save the animals that were still alive.
The fire resulted in enormous losses and sadness for the owners of the businesses, those who have a passion for animals, and the community as a whole.
The tragedy highlights the catastrophic impact that situations of this nature may have, not only on the lives of humans but also on the lives of countless animals.
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“God uses people, and I just thought about them, that’s it,” Jasmine Sanchez said to the station. She also mentioned that her mother owned a clothing business in the center, and that she had actually called 911 to report the fire.
“I’m happy for them, but I’m really sad for a lot of them who died inside, and it’s sad,” she stated.
Ongoing inquiries are being conducted to determine what caused the fire.
