Bronx Apartment Fire Reveals 15 Startled Pit Bulls

One of the rescued pit bulls (CBS 2)

Firefighters responding to an apartment fire at 2186 Grand Concourse in the Bronx yesterday got a bit of a surprise when they got through the door of apartment 6J. 14 pit bulls, including a number of puppies, were barking and fighting inside the smoke-filled apartment. Because the dogs were fighting, firefighters sprayed chemical extinguisher on them to break them up. After that smoke inhalation seemed to calm the canines down and they were carried to safety.

It took about 60 firefighters nearly half-an-hour to eventually bring the blaze under control.

Investigators are still trying to find the owner of the dogs, but neighbors seem to have different opinions on what exactly he was doing with so many pups. His downstairs neighbor, at least, was quite concerned and told the Times he had previously called the ASPCA and 311 on the owner. “I could hear them day and night, fighting and barking and running around. The smell is very strong," he said.

“Who knows what they wanted to do, like sell the little dogs or the big dogs, nobody knows. We have to look for the owner, where’s the owner at? Nobody knows,” neighbor Rosa Fernandez told CBS.

But another neighbor said the owner was a good guy. “He was breeding them, not fighting them,” the 18-year-old told the Times.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in News on March 8, 2011 1:22 PM

Comments [rss]

zincink

"Where’s the owner at? Nobody knows" -- LIES, they know where he is at..give me a break.

souper_crackers

Why would anyone breed pits? Our shelters are filled with them already.

silver

You need 15 pitbulls to protect 1 million in drugs in that apartment.

felixthecat

stop breedng them. fucking mandatory spaying and neutering. why is christine Quinn so fucking heartless. why so much animal cruelty. stop buying animals!!

ajlounyinjurylaw

Looks like an animal hoarder was discovered.

silver

Looks like a drug house was discovered. I'm shocked nobody found the coke.

m015094

Said it before and I'll say it again. Even though not all pit bulls are bad, 100% of pit bull owners are assholes.

C_Right_THRU_U

ban these dogs in NYC...they are just used to intimidate neighbors

genericrdr

Rubbish. Yet more blanket statements from someone who obviously has no knowledge of pitbulls. They were known widely as "dog nannies" in the early 20th century because of their loving nature particularly with people and children. A pitbull was awarded a medal of honor for bravery in WW2 and dubbed "Sargeant". Not the mark of a rabid dog meant to "intimidate neighbors" as you so flippantly and ignorantly described.