Four dogs dead following Dover house fire

A Calgary Fire Department member carries a dog during Sunday evening's duplex fire in Dover (Aidan Osborne)

CALGARY – It’s a heartbreaking loss for a southeast Calgary family who lost not only their home but also their pets in a house fire.

Firefighters responded just after 8 p.m. Sunday to the 3400 block of Doverthorn Road Southeast to find a smoke and flames shoring from the roof of a duplex.

The three permanent occupants of the residence were not home at the time but their four dogs were inside.

Fire crews quickly set up an exterior water attack while another team entered the home from the backside. Flames were visible inside the kitchen and had spread to the attic before the flames were doused a short time later.

Four dogs were found during the primary search of the home, all of which had succumbed to smoke inhalation.

No one was inside the other half of the duplex at the time of the fire but neither side of the building could be reoccupied for the evening.

ATCO and ENMAX responded to shut off gas and electrical power.

A fire investigator will look into the exact cause of the fire.