31 dogs killed in kennel fire near West Chicago

WEST CHICAGO (Fox 32/Sun-Times Media Wire) - Dozens of dogs were killed in a fire at a kennel Monday morning near west suburban West Chicago.

The fire was first reported about 5:30 a.m. at D & D Kennels, 2N441 County Farm Road, in unincorporated West Chicago, according to a statement from the DuPage County sheriff’s office.

Firefighters arrived to see heavy fire coming from the second-floor windows of a two-story house, which had dog kennels attached to it on either side, according to a statement from the Carol Stream Fire Protection District. The facility was housing “approximately 50” pit bull rescue dogs at the time.

Emergency crews were able to get more than 20 dogs out of the kennel, authorities said, but 31 dogs died in the fire.

Fire officials said most of the dogs that died were “housed in cages in the main building.”

One civilian suffered injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, and three firefighters were treated for minor dog bites, the fire department said.

Fire crews from Carol Stream, West Chicago, Wheaton, Bloomingdale and Hanover Park were at the scene for more than five hours, fire officials said.

County Farm Road was closed between Jefferson Street and North Avenue, but the street was reopened by 12:20 p.m., the sheriff’s office said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation by the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force and the DuPage Arson Task Force.

Anyone who sees dogs running free in the area was asked to call 911.