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Manchester dogs home fire prompts flood of donations Manchester dogs home fire prompts flood of donations
(34 minutes later)
More than £165,000 in donations have flooded in after a blaze killed more than 50 dogs. A fire-ravaged dogs home has been inundated with over £300,000 in donations after a suspected arson attack killed more than 50 dogs.
Firefighters were called to Manchester Dogs Home shortly after 7pm on Thursday when a fire broke out in a kennel section. About 150 dogs were rescued, with many moved to the charity's sister home in Grappenhall, Cheshire. Firefighters were called to Manchester Dogs Home shortly after 7pm on Thursday night following reports of a major blaze in one of the kennels.
Greater Manchester fire and rescue service said the number of dogs so far known to have died in the blaze was 53. About 150 dogs were rescued from the burning sanctuary in Harpurhey, Manchester, as firefighters and onlookers kicked down kennel doors on the sprawling 11,000-acre site.
Hundreds of residents flocked to the site with dog blankets, cages and food, with some reportedly helping to save some of the animals. More than 30 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control. On Friday morning, Greater Manchester fire and rescue service said the number of dogs that had died so far was 53. Many of those rescued were taken to the charity's sister home in Grappenhall, Cheshire.
The fire caused damage to about a third of the kennels. A 14-year-old boy is being questioned on suspicion of arson. A 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and remains in police custody for questioning.
A number of JustGiving accounts were set up in the wake of the blaze, with more than £145,000 raised on one set up by the Manchester Evening News and another £20,000 on a page set up by the local radio presenter Chelsea Norris. DI Neil Jones praised the "overwhelming" public response to the disaster as online donations for the dogs home topped £300,000.
Norris, a breakfast show presenter on Key 103, tweeted: "Woke up to the news we raised this for @manchdogs Thanks everyone, support is not only appreciated but mind-blowing." He said: "The response from the public has been overwhelming and this is clearly an incident that has tugged on the heart strings of many. A number of people, including police officers and staff were quickly on the scene and put their life on the line to help with the rescue effort.
Manchester Dogs Home tweeted: "Words are not enough. Thank you everyone, you have touched our hearts and surrounded us with love and we are truly grateful. We are overwhelmed with the offers of help, support and money. Grateful and humbled." "We are determined to establish exactly how and why this fire started and will be working closely with our partners from the fire service.
The fire service tweeted its thanks to the donors, saying: "One hundred and fifty dogs rescued. Thousands of pounds donated. Thank you Greater Manchester." "As part of the investigation a 15-year-old boy has been arrested and he will be spoken to throughout the course of the day. If anyone has any information about this fire I would encourage them to contact us."
Anna Stansfield, manager of Cheshire Dogs Home, described the blaze as "soul-destroying" and said all the rescued dogs would be transferred to its site in Cheshire. She said she could not comment on the circumstances of the blaze but confirmed that four members of staff were working there at the time. Hundreds of volunteers flocked to the site last night, bringing blankets and dog food as reports of the fire spread online. Police and firefighters appealed to animal-lovers to stay away from the scene as the crowds gathered.
Supt Marcus Noden, of Greater Manchester police, said: "We are working closely with Greater Manchester fire and rescue service to establish how this tragedy has occurred. We are in the very early stages of the investigation and have a young boy in custody, however we would ask if anyone was in the area and remembers seeing anything suspicious around the dogs' home that they call police and tell us what they know. Two men, Jason Dyer, 41, and his nephew, Dean Rostock, 25, were praised as heroes after rescuing around 20 dogs. The men, who live nearby, jumped over a fence and kicked open kennel doors before taking the animals to safety and tying them to a fence.
"As a dog owner myself I understand that many people will feel angry and upset about what has happened but I would ask that they let the police carry out their investigations and not take matters into their own hands." "All the windows where the dogs are advertised for sale were blown out and the ceiling was collapsed," Dyer told the Manchester Evening News. "We initially ran into the bit that was on fire but we couldn't get those dogs out. We went to the other kennels and began kicking out the doors. We just wanted to get them out.
"This place is part of our childhoods. We both have dogs and love dogs – of course we are going to run in there. We just wanted to make sure as many as possible would be OK."
Around a third of the building is thought to have been gutted by the blaze, with further inspections on Friday set to decide whether the home is irreparably damaged.
Jones said: "Our switchboard, like social media, has been overrun with people wanting to help and I would ask people to not call the police unless they have information about the investigation or those responsible.
"Anyone wanting to donate items such as food and blankets can do so by bringing them to the north Manchester police headquarters. A JustGiving page has also been set up for anyone wanting to donate cash. If you have information about the fire then please call us."
The police appealed to the public to allow the police to investigate rather than attempting to take matters into their own hands.