Two dogs, several cats die in west Wichita house fire

Two dogs and several cats died in a house fire where explosions went off in a garage in northwest Wichita on Wednesday.

Emergency crews responded to a house fire in the 400 block of North Pamela, near Central and Tyler, at around 3:40 p.m., Wichita Fire Department Battalion Chief Lane Pearman said.

Two residents escaped with minor injuries and were treated at the scene by paramedics, but two dogs and several cats died in the fire. Pearman said about 10 pets lived in the house.

James George — the father of Jennifer George, who he said was one of the residents — said one dog survived the fire, a pug named Minnie. Two other dogs, a pug named Millie and a Yorkie mix named Rags, died in the blaze.

James George, who lives across the street from his daughter, said emergency responders put an oxygen mask on a cat who made it out of the home, but several other cats did not make it out alive.

“I’m just glad she didn’t get hurt,” George said. “I heard an explosion and by the time I got to the front door it was in flames. It was that fast.”

Pearman said the fire likely originated in the garage. He said it is common for small explosions to occur in garage fires due to what is typically stored in garages.

He said the home was a complete loss. There was a preliminary estimate of around $150,000 in damage.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Two dogs, several cats die in west Wichita house fire."