Fire in Manchester: 43 dogs burnt to death

At least 43 dogs were burnt to death in a fire that gutted at Manchester Dogs Home in England and a 15-year old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson and is being held in police custody.

Reports said more than 20 firefighters battled to put out the fire which engulfed the building on Mossbrook Road at about 7pm on Thursday.

A GMP spokesman said: “At the moment it is confirmed that 43 dogs are dead and it is unknown how many are injured.”

Fire fighters however said about 150 dogs have been rescued and moved to a sister site, Cheshire Dogs’ Home.

The Home holds a special place in the hearts of animal lovers in the United Kingdom. It has since its establishment in 1893, taken in over one million stray dogs, taking care of at least 7000 dogs a year.

The home has another site in Cheshire. Manchester Evening News reports that more than 250 dogs at any one time waiting for adoption across their two sites of the home “but often many dogs are never reclaimed by their owners and require a great degree of emotional and physical support during their time at one of the two homes.

Pictures of the inferno were posted on social media by concerned residents living near the dog to the long-established dogs’ home, which has capacity to care for 400 dogs. Residents said they could hear ‘dogs yelping’.

The police spokesman said that the force had been inundated with calls from concerned animal-lovers offering homes to any surviving dogs.

“We are having lots of offers of help from the public, which is really nice,” he said. “At the moment we don’t know what help will be needed but it is great that so many people are coming forward.”

Concerned residents bring mattresses and other relief items for the dogs

A JustGiving account launched by the Manchester Evening News had already raised more than £750,000 within 24 hours.