By Matthew Spolar
The Concord Monitor
PEMBROKE, N.H. — Fifteen dogs and two cats were killed in a fire that destroyed a Pembroke kennel yesterday morning.
Pembroke fire Chief Harold Paulsen said the fire at Hemlock Hill Farm, 527 4th Range Road, was called in about 1 a.m., and crews found the kennel “totally involved.” There was no chance of rescuing the animals, he said.
“It was pretty obvious they were gone at that point,” Paulsen said.
Kennel owner Paulette Cloutier said her records, including contact information for the dog owners, were also destroyed in the fire. Cloutier was sleeping in the main house, which is adjacent to the 30-by-50-foot kennel building, Paulsen said.
The two cats and two of the dogs were Cloutier’s, Paulsen said. Cloutier said yesterday evening she was still trying to get in touch with some of the owners of the 13 other dogs. The kennel is generally used by people on vacation, Paulsen said.
“This is very, very heartbreaking. It’s not just the loss of a building,” Cloutier said. “I’m dealing with people who, in addition to me, have lost their own pets. I’m just devastated.”
Two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, Paulsen said. An Allenstown firefighter injured his hand and a Pembroke firefighter hurt his ankle, he said. Both were taken to Concord Hospital and released.
The scene of the two-alarm fire was cleared at 5:30 a.m., Paulsen said. The blaze brought in firefighters from Allenstown, Boscawen, Concord, Chichester, Epsom and Loudon, he said.
Paulsen said he believed the fire originated in the ceiling above the second floor of the kennel building, but the cause had not yet been determined. He said the building, assessed at $9,500, is a total loss.