Update: Two GoFundMe campaigns have been started following the fire, one for the man who ran the facility and the other for the rescue organization affected by the fire.
Dozens of dogs were killed in a fire at a kennel Monday morning near west suburban West Chicago.
The fire started Monday morning at D and D Kennels, at 2N441 County Farm Road, police said. Authorities responded to the structure fire at about 5:30 a.m.
Firefighters arrived to see heavy fire coming from the second-floor windows of a two-story house, which had dog kennels attached to it on either side, according to a statement from the Carol Stream Fire Protection District. The facility was housing “approximately 50” pit bull rescue dogs at the time.
Emergency crews were able to get more than 20 dogs out of the kennel, authorities said, but 29 dogs died in the fire.
Fire officials said most of the dogs that died were “housed in cages in the main building.”
One civilian suffered injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, and three firefighters were treated for minor dog bites, the fire department said.
Police issued a community safety warning, emphasizing, "If anyone sees any dogs running free in the area, we ask they call 911 immediately and to not attempt to catch any dog."
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County Farm Road, closed to traffic north of North Avenue and south of Jefferson Street, has since been reopened.
The blaze is under investigation by the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force.
