Ghaziabad: Seven dogs died and others were injured when Thursday’s massive slum fire in Kanawani spread to a small animal shelter at the edge of the cluster.Chief fire officer Rahul Pal said more than 70 dogs were housed at the shelter when the fire reached it.“We heard people shouting that there were animals trapped inside. A team from the fire department and police broke open the gate, which was surrounded by fire. We found dogs and puppies and started rescuing them, but a few died due to burns,” he said.Vandana, an animal activist who has run the facility for six years, said that some dogs had been killed but declined to give a number.“I am not in a condition to talk more about the incident,” she said.A senior police official said nearby residents also used the shelter to house their animals, and that medical treatment was provided there for sick or injured street dogs.Saurabh Gupta of People for Animals said his organisation would assess the condition of the shelter and verify whether it was registered. Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation currently does not run any dog shelter in the district.The incident is not the first time animals have perished in a fire in the Kanawani area. In April 2022, 38 cows were charred to death and around 20 sustained severe burn injuries when a fire broke out at a cowshed-cum-dairy in the same locality.More than 100 cows were present at the time. The cowshed, operated under the banner of Shri Krishna Seva Gaushala Trust, was located adjacent to a cluster of slums, and the fire spread rapidly from a nearby scrap godown.
