More than 500 animals, most of them small birds, died Friday morning in a fire at a shopping center in Northwest Dallas, authorities said.
The fire broke out at Plaza Latina, a one-story shopping center on Harry Hines Boulevard, around 9 a.m. The animals, totaling 579, were in a pet store at the center and perished due to smoke inhalation, according to Jason Evans, a spokesperson for Dallas Fire-Rescue.
The blaze also claimed the lives of chickens, hamsters, two dogs, and two cats.
The two-alarm fire took firefighters about two hours to extinguish, with 45 personnel responding to the scene. “While Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel searched and attempted rescue, all animals in the shop unfortunately perished due to smoke inhalation,” Evans said.
The shopping center, which houses small businesses and is known as “a hub for Latin goods and services,” suffered severe damage, including a partially collapsed roof.
A Facebook post by Plaza Latina in Spanish asked for prayers for the families of workers affected by the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Evans said.
