Three or four goats, a dog and some other animals died when a fire broke out Saturday in the kitchen of a house in Gray, authorities said.
Fire Chief Kurt Elkanich said the fire at 157 Center Road was reported around 10 a.m. by a passer-by who saw smoke coming from the eaves.
He said firefighters extinguished the fire within about 20 minutes and kept the damage confined to the kitchen. Elkanich said the animals appeared to have died of smoke inhalation. He could not explain why the goats were in the house.
WCSH-TV reported that cats, rabbits and doves also died in the fire, but a rabbit survived.
No one was home at the time, Elkanich said.
The initial finding by State Fire Marshal’s Office was that the fire was caused by a gas burner on the stove the was left on, the television station said.
Elkanich confirmed that the fire did not appear to be suspicious in nature.
Elkanich said no firefighters were injured and fire companies from nearby towns assisted, either by helping to put out the fire or in covering fire stations in Gray.
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