579 animals killed after fire rips through Texas shopping center, officials say

By Dawn White, Giles Hudson, Doug Myers

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    DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — Hundreds of animals were killed after a fire swept through a Northwest Dallas shopping center on Friday morning.

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department announced that 579 animals died as a result of the fire at Plaza Latina Bazaar on Harry Hines Boulevard – most from smoke inhalation.

The animals who died had been housed in an exotic pet store.

“Most were small birds, but there were also chickens, hamsters, two dogs and two cats,” said Robert Borse, a spokesman for Dallas Fire-Rescue. “No exotic animals were found on the site at the time of recovery.”

A few others were rescued and revived, thanks to the efforts of Dallas Fire-Rescue crews.

“While fire did not reach the pet shop, a great deal of smoke did enter,” Borse said. “While DFR personnel did search and attempt rescue, all animals (remaining) in the shop unfortunately perished due to smoke inhalation.”

Dallas firefighters, accustomed to extinguishing flames, performed CPR on a tortoise and revived a near-death puppy.

CBS New Texas photojournalist Alexis Ramirez captured exclusive video showing firefighters in action, including a firefighter working intently on a puppy, bringing it back to life.

“I’m an animal lover, so I tried to think about them,” said Jasmine Sanchez, whose mother owns a clothing store at Plaza Latina. Sanchez called 911, knowing the animals were inside.

“God uses people, and I just thought about them, that’s it. I’m happy for them, but I’m really sad for a lot of them who died inside, and it’s sad,” Sanchez said.

The crew also saved miniature pigs, guinea pigs, and rabbits.

Dallas Animal Services is caring for the nearly two dozen animals that survived.

The two-alarm fire, which started around 9 a.m., saw almost 50 firefighters battling the fire. The roof partially collapsed. The building housed multiple small businesses, many of which have been at the complex for 25 years. Owners hope to access the building on Saturday to assess damages.

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