As the fire has been brought under control and a 15-year old boy has been taken into custody overnight, the number of dogs believed to have died in a suspected arson attack at Manchester Dogs Home has now reached 53.
Fire crews were called to the charity shelter in Harpurhey, Manchester at 1920 last night and up to 30 crew attended the blaze, reports the Manchester Evening News. Although 53 dogs have now died, the number is expected to continue rising as another 150 are reported ‘injured’, and may be suffering burns or smoke inhalation. The emergency services have said the buildings may be beyond repair and therefore condemned.
Speaking to the press, a Superintendent of the Greater Manchester Police said: “We are working closely with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to establish how this tragedy has occurred. We are in the very early stages of the investigation and have a young boy in custody, however we would ask if anyone was in the area and remembers seeing anything suspicious around the dogs’ home that they call police and tell us what they know.
“As a dog owner myself I understand that many people will feel angry and upset about what has happened, but I would ask that they let the police carry out their investigations and not take matters into their own hands.”
When asked by Breitbart London the Greater Manchester Police refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding the boy coming into custody, or his identity. It is believed he will be interviewed by Police over the course of today.
The suspected arson attack at the Victorian dog charity has prompted a significant response from animal-loving Brits, who over night pledged nearly £400,000 in donations, a figure that continues to rise. This will be a significant boost to the charity in the aftermath of the fire, which normally raises just over a million pounds a year in voluntary donations.
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