(Photos by David Greene)
By David Greene
Firefighters battling a blaze on the Grand Concourse in Fordham Heights, rescued 14 pit bulls that had apparently been living in the sixth-floor apartment.
Authorities say the fire broke out on the top floor of 2186 Grand Concourse, at just before 3 p.m. on Monday, March 7. Witnesses say some of the dogs were overcome by the smoke and firemen would give several of the animals oxygen.
Animal Care and Control of New York City reported removing a total of 14 dogs: nine adults, one pup and four newborns. The official stated that just one dog was injured in an apparent accident that occurred as the animal was being transported out of the building. That dog suffered a small gash on his noise, but the injury was not serious.
The building's super Brian Rivic was boarding up the heavily damaged apartment, when he said of the dogs owner, "He was at work, I don't know how the fire started.
"He has a lot of dogs but he takes care of them," Rivic said of the still-unidentified owner, adding, "He makes a few trips, he walks them in the morning and in the afternoon."
Rivic said of the injured dogs, "A few of the dogs, the firemen had to give them air and stuff."
The still-absent dog owner's down-stairs neighbor Umberto Portuondo was aware of the dogs, stating, "Yeah, I hear them all the time, there always barking and making noise."
Portuondo said he has seen the owner a few times with just a pair of dogs at a time, and thought the animals were housebroken.
Asked what he thought the owner, a black man in his late 30s, was doing with so many pit bulls, Portuondo replied, "To tell you the truth I don't know. Maybe he was selling them or using them to fight."
A source stated that the dogs would likely be taken to the ASPCA facility in Upper Manhattan for medical evaluation to see if they had been mistreated. The FDNY is also investigating the cause of the blaze in which two members sustained minor injuries.
No comments:
Post a Comment