Fifteen puppies died in a kennel fire overnight south of Chillicothe. Officials say the cause of the fire was due to the overheating of heating appliances that were being used to keep the puppies warm.

The Chillicothe Department of Emergency Services was notified of the fire at 2:22 a.m. today (Thursday) at the residence of Lou Cox on LIV 416. Upon arrival, firefighters found a building approximately 12-feet-by-20-feet fully involved in flames.

Firefighters used around 200 feet of hose and 900 gallons of water to bring the fire under control and to cool a nearby 500-gallon propane tank, according to assistant fire chief Joe Darr.
The building was the smallest of four kennels and was about 120 feet from the residence. Individual heat lamps and a propane heater had been used to keep the puppies warm.

The outside temperature was around 10 degrees at the time of the fire. Nine firefighters responded to the fire and were at the scene until around 3:30 a.m.