Five dogs were tragically killed in a fire at a home next to a pet resort on Tuesday night in Valrico. Three of the five dogs were "champion show dogs," according to an employee at the pet resort. That employee also confirmed to ABC Action News that the dogs were the resort owner's dogs.
The house fire was reported around 8:30 p.m. at 514 North Saint Cloud Avenue in Valrico, the location of Almost Home Pet Resort. The pet resort was not damaged whatsoever and remains open for business. The owner of the pet resort lived in the home next to the pet resort. The home was the only structure damaged by the fire.
When firefighters arrived they reported smoke and flames coming from the home. Firefighters started an aggressive interior attack and knocked the flames down. The majority of the damage was contained to the kitchen of the home, but there was heat and smoke damage throughout the home. The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes.
While searching the home Firefighters found 5 dogs deceased inside the home next door to the pet resort. Those animals have been turned over to animal control. There were no injuries to humans reported.
On Wednesday morning, just after 7 a.m. the pet resort shared a post on Facebook to say all of the resort pets are safe and the resort will be open for business on Wednesday.
According to a Kustom Disaster Recovery & Restoration representative boarding up the home, the five dogs died belonged to the homeowner, not clients.The representative told ABC Action News that the fire started in the main residence and did not impact the separate kennel building that serves as the pet resort.
The Hillsborough Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire.
