Dogs rescued from kennel fire

Uxbridge firefighters fight three-alarm blaze while saving 8 dogs

UXBRIDGE — Firefighters battled a three-alarm fire at the Aldrich Street Kennels in Uxbridge, saving eight dogs before the blaze was brought under control.

Two firefighters were taken by ambulance to Milford Hospital for evaluation and were later released, according to fire officials.

One of the eight dogs rescued from the fire suffered burns and other injuries and was taken to local veterinarian for treatment.

Firefighters said a cat died in the fire, which broke out just after 5 a.m.

Located at 610 Aldrich St., Aldrich Street Kennel is a longtime and familiar business in town, where the owners breed Siberian Huskies and Golden Retrievers and provide boarding, grooming and daycare services. The property includes a residential home and three kennels, one of which was destroyed in the fire.

The call reporting the fire came in at approximately 5:17 a.m. and quickly went to 3 alarms, requiring at mutual aid from at least six area fire departments, including Blackstone, Millville, North Smithfield and Burrillville.

“On arrival, crews found heavy fire in the front of the building,” said Fire Chief William Kessler. “They were able to make entry from the back of the kennel and retrieved seven dogs that were inside, and ultimately found the eighth dog alive as well.”

Uxbridge police said Aldrich Street between Johnson Road and Douglas Pike was closed to all traffic as fire crews attend to the early-morning house fire.

Kessler said fighting the fire was difficult because of the snow and icy conditions

“I want to thank our mutual aid partners who responded,” Kessler said. “It was a tough call being outside of the water district and with so much fresh snow to trample through.”

The exact cause of the fire has not been determine, but an initial investigation indicates that it might have been electrical in nature.