GEORGETOWN, Texas — After a fire quickly started last September at Ponderosa Pet Resort, a dog boarding facility in Georgetown, fire officials are still investigating what sparked the fire, which eventually killed 75 pets. However, the fire chief is proposing amendments to the city's code.
On Tuesday, Feb. 8, the Georgetown City Council approved fire code changes on a first reading, aimed at addressing some of the shortfalls from last September's fire. Another vote is still needed before the changes take effect.
Seventy-five dogs died after the fire started at the Williamson County boarding facility on Sept. 18, 2021. No smoke alarms or sprinklers were in the building and no one on staff was at the facility at the time of the fire.
Some of the changes proposed by Fire Chief John Sullivan that were approved at the Georgetown City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8, include:
- Automatic sprinkler systems in animal housing or care facilities when the animals are not provided with constant supervision
- If the animal facility houses fewer than 30 animals, only a fire alarm system is required along with walls that have Class A finish
- If the animal facility houses fewer than 50 animals, only a fire alarm system is required along with walls that have Class A finish and the facility has to be of one-hour resistive construction on both sides of the kennel area
- In office areas or other parts of the building, an audible and visual alarm signal is required to provide notification of potential fire
- Install electronically supervised carbon-monoxide detection systems where the animals are kept, if not under constant supervision
View the full presentation here.
Several community members who lost pets in the fire urged the council to take action during the meeting.
City council members are expected to take another vote on the fire code amendments at a Feb. 22 meeting.
Previously, Sullivan said if the fire code is updated to reflect these amendments, Georgetown would be leading the way in protecting animals from a similar tragedy.
“Many people, myself included, believe animals are extensions of our family,” Sullivan said. “As a direct result of this unspeakable loss for 59 of our Georgetown families, we have taken a hard look at how our building codes can require fire-safety measures that can protect our four-legged family members.”
PHOTOS: Remembering the dogs lost in the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire
While the Georgetown Fire Department has not been able to identify the exact cause of the fire, investigators have been able to narrow it down to six possible scenarios:
- One of two blower motors failed and melted plastic around them to its ignition point.
- The air purifier failed and melted the plastic to its ignition point.
- The rodent deterrent ignited in wall plug and caught the surrounding material on fire.
- The extension cord failed, melted through sheathing, and caught the surrounding material on fire.
- The insect killer created an environment that sustained a flame and melted, catching area around it on fire.
- Failure of building electrical system.
The fire, which caused $757,000 of damage to the structure, is believed to have started in the office area. Investigators believe the building material may have contributed to the spread of the smoke, which ultimately killed the animals. The facility also didn’t have supervised smoke or heat detection devices or a fire suppression system, Sullivan noted.
In November, the KVUE Defenders found that 80% of people who wrote into Georgetown leaders wanted fire sprinklers in pet boarding facilities.
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