Petshop Gutted In Fire

[OSoSwift]

HOw awful, and such a terrible way for their animals to die

It is because of my fear of this happening to my animals at home that my dogs are contained to their yard and runs which are brick, concrete and metal and surrounded by green grass

[rusty&biscuit]

This is so sad Sounds lik the shop owner is a very decent person, poor guy. I hope the shop was insured. RIP to all the pets who perished in the fire

[kosmology]

Gee, that is sad news. Horrible way to lose beloved pets

[Peace_Of_Mind]

Very very sad, I just hope it was quick and they didn't suffer. :cry:

I lock all my dogs inside at night only when I am here other wise they have a doggy door so they can get outside if they need to. Its my biggest fear loosing my pets to a fire.

What a terrible thing to happen.

I also hope it was quick and they did not suffer

[Fit for a King]

sas - I appreciate your comment BUT I don't think we are talking the same thing. My animals all live in the house but have access to escape and I have neighbours who would come to their aid. They are also not locked up alone overnight.

What if your neighbours weren't home while you were out? How do your animals have access to free themselves plus also be safely contained? Genuine question - my neighbours all work, if a fire started here all my pets would be burnt to a crisp as I have gone to a lot of trouble and cost to ensure all my animals are contained appropriately.

My front and back doors are always opened....as is a glass sliding door in the loungeroom so 3 exits from the house.....I am on acreage and have colourbond fencing around the back half and mesh around the front. They could not escape into the road. If firies arrive there is a gate through to the drive then another fenced area to get into the yard.......unless someone opened every gate then they wouldn't be able to get out......

[TrinaJ]

That's heartbreaking.... RIP precious animals

[j]

A tragedy for all involved in this matter. Regardless of what your personal opinion of petshops is, the owners have still suffered the loss as much as anyone with a loved pet at home.

sas - I appreciate your comment BUT I don't think we are talking the same thing. My animals all live in the house but have access to escape and I have neighbours who would come to their aid. They are also not locked up alone overnight.

What if your neighbours weren't home while you were out? How do your animals have access to free themselves plus also be safely contained? Genuine question - my neighbours all work, if a fire started here all my pets would be burnt to a crisp as I have gone to a lot of trouble and cost to ensure all my animals are contained appropriately.

My front and back doors are always opened....as is a glass sliding door in the loungeroom so 3 exits from the house.....I am on acreage and have colourbond fencing around the back half and mesh around the front. They could not escape into the road. If firies arrive there is a gate through to the drive then another fenced area to get into the yard.......unless someone opened every gate then they wouldn't be able to get out......

If the firies are called to a house fire at your property, I can guarantee that the last thing they would be worried about is closing gates after they go through them.

Many many animals perised in the 2003 fires that destroyed 500+ houses in suburban Canberra. Middle of the day, on a weekend. People were home, not at work. But they were unable to save their pets. Some pets managed to flee and some of those were lucky enough to be reunited with their owners.

Fire is an unpredicatable beast and if their own homes are also threatened, I doubt anyone, regardless of how good a neigbour they are, will be considering trying to save the pets of an absent owner.

[Clyde]

....unless someone opened every gate then they wouldn't be able to get out......

So they would perish just like the animals in the pet store. So now I don't get your initial attack on the store owners?

[Fit for a King]

out into the road - not out of the house........so no they wouldn;t perish in the house....they may be loose in the street though.....

No plan is fullproof but mine have the maximum number of escape routes possible onto the rest of the property......or would you like me to hire someone to puppy sit when I'm at work?????

At least I am not leaving them caged and vulnerable as happens at pet stores across the country.......rolling eyes again.......

[GeckoTree]

This would just be heart breaking, losing a business and to all who it directly and indirectly impacted.

RIP Pierre.

[dasha]

But Fit for a King your pets are still caged...... just its a bit bigger then these ones are in. You still have contained them in your yard and if a large fire came through from one end of property to the other..........gone

Glad your home and set up is perfect so you don't suffer the same losses and 99.99% of the population are clearly going to if they were unfortunate enough to experience a fire.

I also have been to this store over the years and the tyre place as well. It is a big loss to the owners of all the factories there as it is their living. You can't say you don't feel for the animals just because they were temporarily accommodated in a store. Hopefully they can recover and return to business in the future.

[Jed]

FFIK lives in an area which is very unlikely to be affected by bushfire, and I think if there was a warning, FFIK would be off with a car full of dogs. However, not a bushfire prone area. And if the house caught fire, the dogs would be safe in the yard

As far as saving the dogs ... I was very fire safety conscious, I had smoke alarms, I had a torch beside the bed, I had 4 external doors. Each room had a window with an opening more than big enough to climb out of.

Don't rely on dogs to run outside themselves. None of mine did. I carried each one out just in case they ran the wrong way if I called them. None of them even looked like going outside.

And 5 were dead or unconscious when I woke up. They were on the floor of my bedroom. The 2 on the bed were groggy but ok. Carbon monoxide poisoning. The carbon monoxide preceeded the fire.

And it all happens much faster than you could ever believe.

[j]

FFIK lives in an area which is very unlikely to be affected by bushfire, and I think if there was a warning, FFIK would be off with a car full of dogs. However, not a bushfire prone area. And if the house caught fire, the dogs would be safe in the yard

As far as saving the dogs ... I was very fire safety conscious, I had smoke alarms, I had a torch beside the bed, I had 4 external doors. Each room had a window with an opening more than big enough to climb out of.

Don't rely on dogs to run outside themselves. None of mine did. I carried each one out just in case they ran the wrong way if I called them. None of them even looked like going outside.

And 5 were dead or unconscious when I woke up. They were on the floor of my bedroom. The 2 on the bed were groggy but ok. Carbon monoxide poisoning. The carbon monoxide preceeded the fire.

And it all happens much faster than you could ever believe.

I agree Jed. Much quicker than anyone would ever imagine, and you have suffered much more than any of us are ever likely to.

But I hope others don't believe, just because they are in an inner suburb that they won't suffer a house or bushfire. Aside from the 500+ suburban houses that were destroyed in the 2003 Canberra fires, there were also a number of "spot" fires that were started, many many kilometres and suburbs away from the main fires, by embers that were carried on the breeze. There was a house fire in my parents street, in Belconnen, well away from the main fires in Weston Creek.

Smoke is the silent killer, and many die before there is any warning or alarm sounded.

[Fit for a King]

Dasha - my "yard" is over 2 acres - hardly what I would call a cage and Jed is absolutely right - at the first hint of a fire I would have the trailer on, dogs packed and be heading out the gate. I'd have no hestitation to return without them if I thought (and QFRS agreed) that I could help save my house. BUT not much "bush" so to speak - rural area but much of it cleared for horses/cattle etc....very little food for a bush fire. House fire - well I have maximised their escape routes but animals like people can be very unpredictable......

[Jed]

Must be psychic, FFAK, read your mind there.

Where FFAK lives - and where I live - is quite bushfire safe. It is rural, but not the sort of bush which burns like mad. I don't think there ever has been a fire through here - ever

Firie doing the ad about house fire awareness said you have 3 minutes to get out. Think I would agree with that.

Edited May 2, 2012 by Jed