Woman, 31 dogs dead after house fire in north Phoenix

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - An elderly woman and 31 dogs are dead after a house caught on fire in north Phoenix Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday, around 12:45 p.m., Phoenix fire officials responded to the report of a house fire near 39th Ave and Bell Road. Firefighters rescued an 86-year-old woman from home and took her to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries. Phoenix police investigators say an estimated 37 dogs were found in the home, many of them inside metal cages. Fire crews were able to save six dogs and took them to the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) for care, but 31 dogs didn’t make it.

AHS said early Monday morning that another dog died while two others have a “guarded prognosis.” Nonprofit officials also described the dogs as being as seemingly being under “hoard-like conditions,” with many of them having ticks, matted fur, urine-soaked fur, and being underweight.