5 puppies die in Rochester house fire

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — A house caught on fire at Westview Terrace in Rochester around 7 on Monday morning. Some of the pets inside were saved, but sadly not all of them were rescued.

There were two Pitbulls and six puppies inside the home. The Pitbulls both survived, but five of the puppies died. One more puppy was taken to the vet in serious condition. Also, a cat was rescued and is expected to be okay.

Rochester Fire Department says five people live in the house but just one was home at the time. That person was able to make it outside and is okay.

RFD Battalion Chief James Hartman said a space heater in the basement caused the fire.

"There was a space heater in the basement close to the puppies," Hartman said. "It looks like that that was the cause of the fire, whether the puppies knocked it over, or it was just combustibles too close to it… wanna make sure everybody’s aware that uh… using a space heater make sure they’re using them safely, they’re not storing combustibles around and make sure they’re not able to be tipped over."

The space heater was there to keep the pets warm downstairs.