Nine dogs were killed in a fire inside a mobile home in Langley Tuesday morning.
Langley Township Dept. Fire Chief Bruce Ferguson says it happened around 4 a.m. in the 21700 block of 40th Avenue.
He says the person who owned the property claimed they were running a “dog rescue” service.
Ferguson says none of the dogs inside the mobile home survived.
“They were all inside kennels or cages inside the structure,” he said.
The BC SPCA says the person who owned the property did not have a license to be operating the kennel.
Spokesperson Lorie Chortyk told Global News the agency is now investigating the incident.
“The housing does not appear to have complied with the kennel code,” she said. “It is so sad these dogs died so tragically.”
Ferguson says one woman was sent to hospital for smoke inhalation after she ran back inside the burning structure.
He suspects the fire started from an electric space heater.