Officer hurt, 46 dogs evacuated from N.J. ‘pet hotel’ due to nearby fire

A police officer was injured and 46 dogs had to be evacuated from a kennel in Fairfield due to smoke from a nearby fire Saturday night, officials said.

The fire broke out at 9:37 p.m. in a commercial building shared by the K9 Resorts Hotel and other businesses at the Pio Costa Business Complex on Bloomfield Avenue, said Off. Stacy Chiarolanza, a spokesperson for the Fairfield Police Department.

A Fairfield Police officer who had responded to the fire was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation, Chiarolanza said. No dogs were hurt, she said.

“We were able to remove all the dogs from the hotel,” Chiarolanza said.

The businesses occupying the building include a restaurant, a tattoo parlor, and the K9 Resorts Hotel, a pet boarding facility where the dogs were lodged, Chiarolanza said.

The cause and precise location where the fire broke out were under investigation, though it did not start in the kennel, she said. Smoke from the fire penetrated the kennel and the dogs were removed and temporarily placed in a vacant space at the Pio Costa complex.

Some of the dogs were picked up by of their owners, while police worked with the Associated Human Societies and the kennel operator to move the remaining animals to other K9 Resorts locations, Chiarolanza said.

Fanwood-based K9 Resorts bills itself as a “Luxury Pet Hotel” chain, offering day care and boarding facilities with a range of accommodations including “traditional compartments,” “executive rooms,” and “luxury suites.” The phone was not in service at the company’s Fairfield location on Sunday, and the company did not immediately respond to a message at its Fanwood corporate office.

In addition to Fairfield police, officers from West Caldwell, North Caldwell, and Wayne also responded, while the Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from West Caldwell, Pine Brook, Wayne, Lincoln Park, North Caldwell, Caldwell, Roseland, and Cedar Grove. The West Essex First Aid Squad also responded.

Chiarolanza said the kennel’s successful evacuation was “the direct result of the bravery and selflessness of responding law enforcement officers and firefighters who made sure that they continued to enter the facility until all dogs were safely removed.”

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Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com