Blaze at Gurugram dog park kills 4 canine; short circuit suspected

A 3am fire at Stay and Sniff in Sector 60 killed four dogs; officials suspect a short circuit as FSL teams probe the cause.

Four dogs staying at a dog park and boarding centre in Sector 60 died in a fire that broke out around 3am on Friday. Officials said 21 dogs were rescued, and of them, two had sustained minor injuries.

The charred remains of a canine cage. (HT Photo)

According to police, a daily diary entry has been filed under Section 194 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. Initial investigation suggests the fire may have been triggered by a short circuit, an officer said.

The fire was reported at 3.04am, following which a team from the Sector 29 fire station was dispatched to the scene. Jai Narayan, fire officer at the station, said one fire tender was sent to the site and managed to douse the blaze within 15–20 minutes of arrival. “We received the alert at 3:04am, reached the spot immediately, and after extinguishing the fire, our team returned to the station within an hour,” he said.

The Stay and Sniff Dog Park and Boarding Centre served as a temporary shelter for 25 rescued dogs. Among the dead dogs were Myra, a Pakistani Bully, her two puppies Tara and Naina, and Blossom, a Husky. The dogs had been staying at the facility since May 16. 

Ekta Jain, an animal rights advocate and the rescuer of Myra and her puppies, alleged negligence by the centre’s management. “There appear to be discrepancies in the caretakers’ accounts. Some claimed the fire started outside the facility, while others said it began inside the trailer where all 25 dogs were kept,” she said. 

“All four dogs were trapped in their cages and burnt alive... When I visited the site after the incident, I didn’t see a single fire extinguisher in the building,” Jain said. 

When contacted, Uday Shekhawat, owner of the boarding centre, said the four dogs were kept in separate cages as they were aggressive, and the puppies were placed nearby for safety. “Three caretakers were asleep when the incident occurred. They tried their best to rescue every dog, but Myra, her puppies, and Blossom were kept at the far end of the trailer, the same area where the MCB was located and where the fire is believed to have started,” he said. 

Shekhawat said the electrical system was tested before Diwali, and “all electrical fittings were found to be in proper condition.” He also claimed that a fire extinguisher was installed but “the flames spread rapidly, making it impossible for caretakers to reach it in time.” 

However, a caretaker who requested anonymity contradicted this account, claiming that no extinguisher was present and that only two caretakers were inside the trailer at the time. “The fire broke out around 3am... one of us even received an electric shock,” he said, adding that “no recent electrical testing” had been carried out. 

Police said the fire is being probed as a suspected short circuit. “The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team is examining the site to determine the exact cause of the blaze,” said inspector Gaurav Singh of Sector 65 police station.