At least 41 dogs died and 52 survived in a weekend fire at a small home owned by a city councilman in a suburb of Las Vegas, authorities said Monday.
Crews that responded to the home in North Las Vegas on Sunday evening reported seeing dogs running in the front and backyards, but most were found inside the smoke-filled, three-bedroom property, North Las Vegas Fire Department Capt. Cedric Williams said. Some were revived with oxygen.
“We have pet-rescue masks, and many were resuscitated,” Williams said. “They did a wonderful job.”
One man who was at the home was treated on the scene and then taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he was in stable condition Monday morning, authorities said.
The masonry home of less than 1,200 square feet dates to 1954 and is owned by Councilman Isaac Barron, according to property records. Barron is also a teacher at Rancho High School in Las Vegas. Messages left at his City Hall office weren’t immediately returned.
Williams said the fire appeared to be an accident related to the electricity, but it was unknown whether the dogs played any role in starting it. The home, located on Stanley Avenue near Eastern and Owens avenues, was a total loss because of smoke damage, he said.
Animal-control officers were on scene Sunday night to remove the animals from the house, officials said, and they planned to return Monday to look for any more that may not have been found because of the darkness.
Williams said he couldn’t immediately comment on whether code was violated in the case. “They’re going to be continuing their investigation,” he said.
Similar cases involving large numbers of animals kept in homes have led to citations.
Two months ago, a woman who was keeping more than 100 cats and one dog in her North Las Vegas home was cited for misdemeanor animal-cruelty citation. The animals were taken to a shelter, and the home itself was declared uninhabitable immediately after the removal operation.
• Associated Press writer Ken Ritter contributed to this report.
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