Dozens Of Dogs Burn Alive In Fire At Rescue Shelter: 'We Are Terribly Heartbroken'

The 44 dogs had just been rescued from an animal trafficker

Rescue dogs die in fire — 44 rescue dogs died in a fire. Canton Fire Department/Facebook

44 dogs were killed in a fire that ripped through an animal shelter in New York.

The dogs had just been rescued from an alleged "dog trafficker," officials said.

The Canton Fire Department said a passerby spotted flames coming from the No Dogs Left Behind building shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday.

The Canton Fire Department said firefighters were met with "heavy fire in the kennel building," and due to the volume of fire, all of the animals inside perished. No civilians or firefighters were injured.

Working Fire on SH 68At 0059 hours , Canton Fire, Canton Rescue, and County Car 4 were dispatched to 1734 State Highway 68, Maple Ridge Kennels, for a reported structure fire. A passerby had...

"ALL of our survivors perished in the fire," No Dogs Left Behind said. "We are beyond sad. We are heartbroken for these dogs. Each dog was a member of our family."

No Dogs Left Behind specializes in rescuing dogs from Asia's dog meat trade. Their statement referred to "survivors" of an alleged dog trafficking operation that had only just made it to the sanctuary before they were killed in the fire.

"Tragically, they are victims once again. We have no words to express our grief," the organization said.