Almost a dozen pet dogs have been killed in a blaze at a kennel in the U.K., with the cause of the fire not yet known.
Firefighters were called to the blaze at the kennel near the town of Dudley on Saturday morning local time, the BBC reported.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, and 11 dogs were found dead, Staffordshire Police told the broadcaster.
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The police and fire service carried out a joint investigation into the cause of the fire. It was not thought to be suspicious.
“We understand that this is an upsetting incident which has caused concern in the community,” a Staffordshire Police spokesperson told the BBC.
Newsweek has contacted the police department for further comment via email.
The incident comes after 10 dogs drowned in Washington D.C., earlier in August after floodwater poured into a doggy day care.
The water quickly rose above the doors and windows of the building on Rhode Island Avenue until the pressure caused the walls to collapse, D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said last week.
Several dogs drowned in the floodwater, he added.
“It’s hard to watch,” he said. “It’s unbearable. This is losing a member of your family or being scared that you did.”
At least 20 were saved, Donnelly said, as firefighters were forced to break through drywall to let water out of the building before they were able to enter and rescue employees and dogs.
Last week, a Texas family’s dog named Lucky died after being beaten and set on fire.
Police in Houston were called to the city’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood on August 18 by the dog’s owners after they found their pet on fire.
The fire was extinguished and Lucky was transported to the Houston Humane Society (HHS) for emergency treatment. Officials said the dog later died from organ failure and burn shock.
Officials also said that whoever set Lucky on fire appeared to have used an accelerant to commit the act.
“Houston Humane Society is deeply saddened by this unthinkable act of animal cruelty,” HHS spokesperson Jhanae Kelley told Newsweek at the time.
“We urge anyone in our community with information about this attack to please come forward so that justice can be brought for this animal. It is the Houston Humane Society’s mission to end cruelty and abuse of animals.”
The society and the Houston Police Department are investigating the case, and have appealed to the public for help tracking down the person responsible for killing Lucky.