Staff at a cat rescue in Barrie, Ont., say all 50 cats have been temporarily rehomed but the building is uninhabitable after a garbage truck fire spread to the building and sent four staff to hospital as a precaution.
Oro-Medonte Fire and Emergency Services responded to a call for a fire at Street Cats Rescue on Shanty Bay Road near Colborne Street in Barrie around 11:20 a.m. on Friday.
The Township of Oro-Medonte confirmed that a fire from a garbage truck near the building had spread to the building.
Additional stations were called for assistance, and with the help of Barrie fire, staff say crews were able to get the fire under control quickly.
Four staff members and some cats suffered some smoke inhalation while removing the cats from the building.
The township says the four people were taken to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) as a precaution.
Tara-Dawn Winstone, a Fresh Radio host and volunteer for the clinics, confirmed to Global that a veterinarian treated the cats who had inhaled smoke.
Staff have confirmed the shelter was caring for 50 cats, who were all evacuated from the fire safety.
On Monday, the shelter told Global News that all cats had been temporarily rehoused.
“The shelter is not inhabitable; it won’t be for a long time, so it’s an ongoing situation,” Winstone told Global News on Friday.
Damage to the building is estimated to be around $80,000 to $100,000.
The cause of the fire is undetermined, and the township has said the Office of the Fire Marshal was contacted but will not be going to the scene.
The shelter is asking that people wanting to help donate money instead of food or other goods as there is currently no place to house anything.
People can reach out to streetcatsrescue@hotmail.com for more details on how to help or find out more online.
Fresh Radio and Global News are both properties of Corus Entertainment.
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