Shelter fire claims 99 cats, 12 dogs Posted On: Monday, Nov. 2 2009 04:53 AM By Don Bolding
Killeen Daily Herald

A fire early Sunday morning at Killeen's Second Chance Animal Shelter at 5501 Clear Creek Road did some serious damage, but it didn't spread nearly as fast as word of it spread in the community to draw hundreds of volunteer workers.

The saddest part was the loss of 99 cats and 12 small dogs from smoke inhalation, said George Grammas, volunteer president of the Centex Humane Society, which operates the shelter. The flames did not claim any animals.

The shelter's census had been about 120 cats and 120 dogs.

"It started between midnight and 1:30 a.m.," Grammas said. "A passing motorist saw flames and called 911. The fire department got it out quickly."

Officials at Fire Station No. 7 on Watercrest Drive said a report about the fire department's response was awaiting review and would not be available from the central office until early this week.

The blaze started in or near a kitchen area and meeting room, Grammas said. Fire marshal's officers are still investigating the cause. That room was the most heavily damaged, but smoke spread to other rooms where small animals were boarded.

Large animals were farther away. They remained at the shelter, while the remaining small animals from affected areas had been boarded out to volunteer custodians until the shelter's capacity is restored.

Sunday afternoon, every room and the lawn on all sides were filled with volunteers removing debris and cleaning. Grammas identified students from Shoemaker High School and Fort Hood soldiers, but most had not responded as members of organized groups. Though much more help will be needed during the week, he said, there was hardly enough to do for all the people who responded the first day.

A soldier came up to him and said, "We'll get a group together and be ready to do anything you need us to do."

Grammas said, "The most important thing is to get ready to do adoptions again. We have to get all the debris removed and get the place cleaned up first. We won't have power for a while, but we can do paperwork for adoptions by hand until it's restored."

Also, fire marshal's officers and insurance adjusters have to complete inspections. Grammas expected adoptions to resume after about a week.

Several local veterinarians had volunteered their time to examine and treat the surviving animals for problems arising from the fire.

"We're receiving donations from Petco, PetSmart, the Fort Hood commissary, and the Killeen and Temple animal centers," Grammas said. "We're operating hand-to-mouth, and we're glad for all the help we can get right now."

The shelter will continue to need volunteers this week and will need cleaning supplies without ammonia, paper towels and trash bags, he said.

The shelter also lost many supplies to either fire or smoke damage. Michelle Linard, who organized a group of military spouses via Facebook, transmitted a list of needs from shelter managers, including towels, washcloths, old rugs, 10-by-10-foot and 10- by-15-foot tarps for outdoor kennels, rubber tubs with legs for storage, scratching posts, leashes, collars, and blankets. They also need gift cards for Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, Petsmart and Petco. She mentioned Purina dog chow and puppy and kitten food, but Grammas said late Sunday that a great deal of food had been coming in and there was no immediate shortage.

"We need all those materials, but we need cash donations more than anything right now," he said.

Donations may be brought directly to the shelter. More information is available from Grammas at (254) 458-3583 or ggrammas@hot.rr.com.

Contact Don Bolding at dbolding@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7557.