Firefighters find dogs in Midway motel room where fire broke out

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Firefighters found more than a dozen dogs after a fire in a motel room Friday.

Firefighters were sent at about 8 a.m. to the Budget Inn at the Midway area. They saw flames coming from the motel's ground floor.

The sprinkler system contained the fire, which was in a guest room, said Gale Blomenkamp, assistant chief with the Boone County Fire Protection District. No one was injured.

Boone County Animal Control Supervisor Molly Aust said authorities are investigating for possible criminal charges. Animal control seized one dog for evaluation but returned the rest to their owners, Aust said. She said the owners might have been using the dogs for breeding.

Aust said authorities had already been looking into the situation after receiving complaints. The dog owner was issued a citation for animal abuse, Aust said.

Blomenkamp said 18 dogs were in the room at the time, but none were hurt. Animal control was at the scene to help with the dogs. It wasn't clear why so many dogs were in the room or what will happen with the animals.

The fire response prompted a public alert about traffic congestion on Highway 40.

Check back for more on this developing story.