Updated 2/23/2022: 75 dogs die in fire at pet boarding facility – City of Georgetown Texas – City of Georgetown Texas

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All animal-care facilities will be required to install fire alarms after City Council on Feb. 23 unanimously approved amendments to the City’s fire codes. Newly constructed facilities will have additional fire-protection requirements.
The amendments make Georgetown’s fire codes among the strongest in the country when it comes to protecting pets and animals. Most fire codes – including on the international, national, and state levels – do not require fire prevention features for animal-care facilities.
“The code amendments council approved this week make Georgetown one of the safest places to board your pet in the entire country,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “These amendments represent a long overdue change in how the fire code protects these important members of our families. The features animal-care facilities are now required to install will help prevent tragedies like the one we experienced here in September from happening again, and we’re available to work with anyone who wants to bring our model to their community as well.”
The City added the requirements for animal-care facilities to its ongoing fire-code amendment discussions after a Sept. 18, 2021, fire killed 75 pets at a boarding facility. Fire investigators have noted that the interior smoke conditions during the incident rapidly changed in just 12 minutes, making immediate notification critical in preventing loss of life in future, similar events.
 Under the approved amendments, all existing facilities used for the temporary or permanent housing or care of animals to install a supervised fire alarm system within 18 months of the codes going into effect. The codes will go into effect March 9, 2022, which is 10 days after the updates are published in the Williamson County Sun. That would give existing facilities until September 2023 to bring their facilities up to the new fire-code standards. As of Feb. 23, 2022, there were 23 existing animal-care facilities in the Georgetown Fire Department service area. Of those, 17 didn’t have fire alarms.
All newly constructed animal-care facilities are required to have advanced fire protection features that include a sprinkler system. Unless sprinklers are otherwise required by the City’s Building or Fire codes, acceptable alternatives to a sprinkler system are as follows:
Unless sprinklers are otherwise required by the City’s Building or Fire codes, a facility is not required to install a sprinkler system if it provides 24-hour, on-site supervision. Such facilities will have to install an approved fire alarm system.
Electronically supervised carbon-monoxide detection systems also are required in all, newly constructed animal-are facilities.
Equestrian facilities are exempted from the new fire-code requirements for animal-care facilities.
As of February 2022, Georgetown fire investigators could not pinpoint the cause of the fire. However, they hypothesized six potential causes, all of which have to do with electrical equipment at Ponderosa Pet Resort, 2815 N. Austin Ave.
As a result of investigating this incident, and in addition to the code amendments, the fire department has taken other steps to help mitigate similar incidents in the future. These steps include adding animal housing or care facilities to its annual, priority inspections list, as well as auditing and inspecting the existing animal-care facilities in its service area in fall 2021.
“Many people, myself included, believe animals are extensions of our family,” Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan said. “As a direct result of this unspeakable loss for 59 of our Georgetown families, we took a hard look at our processes and our building codes, and have taken several, critical steps to ensure we do better by our beloved pets. I wish I could turn back time and bring prevent this tragedy from happening in the first place. I get some solace, and I hope the families will as well, from knowing we have put measures in place to protect our four-legged family members in the future.”
Council also approved amending other elements of City fire code, adding a new subsection for mobile food vendors and updating parking restrictions.
Council Agenda Coversheet | Council Meeting Video: Item AB
Georgetown City Council approved amendments to the City’s fire prevention code in its workshop Tuesday, Feb. 8. The amendments are scheduled to go to the council for final approval Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Council voted to require all existing facilities used for the temporary or permanent housing or care of animals to install a supervised fire alarm system within 18 months of the codes going into effect.
“We believe that supervised fire alarms are our best solution out there for us to have early notification,” Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan said.
Under the proposed amendments, all newly constructed animal-care facilities would be required to have advanced fire protection features that include a sprinkler system. Unless sprinklers are otherwise required by the City’s Building or Fire codes, acceptable alternatives to a sprinkler system are as follows:
Unless sprinklers are otherwise required by the City’s Building or Fire codes, a facility would not be required to install a sprinkler system if it provides 24-hour, on-site supervision. Such facilities would have to install an approved fire alarm system.
Electronically supervised carbon-monoxide detection systems also would be required in all, newly constructed animal-are facilities.
As of Feb. 8, 2022, there were 23 existing facilities in the Georgetown Fire Department service area that would fall under the new classification. Of those, 17 don’t have fire alarms.
Council Agenda Coversheet | Council Meeting Video: Item Z
Georgetown fire investigators could not determine the cause of the fire that killed 75 dogs at an animal-care facility Sept. 18, 2021, according to a presentation Fire Chief John Sullivan gave to City Council Tuesday. However, they hypothesized six potential causes, all of which have to do with electrical equipment at Ponderosa Pet Resort, 2815 N. Austin Ave.
“The Georgetown Fire Department and others spent the past four months reviewing the scene of the fire, conducting interviews, performing testing, and more, trying to determine what happened and give the families and our community closure,” Sullivan said. “While we couldn’t specify the exact cause, we have ruled out several, and have narrowed it down to six possible causes. We’ve also taken and proposed steps that will help mitigate such devastating losses in the future, so we can learn from this tragedy and do better by our beloved pets.”
Sullivan told council investigators found six electrical devices near the north, interior wall of the facility, where video surveillance shows the fire started. Investigators were unable to rule out any of the six devices as the cause for the fire and whether the electrical circuits were overloaded.
As such, Sullivan said, investigators have six hypotheses as to what started the fire:
The updates come four months after the fire. In that time, Fire Chief John Sullivan said, the fire department interviewed a diverse group of stakeholders, conducted a basic, non-scientific burn evaluation of the construction material, and served a supporting role in coordinating investigations from third parties, including equipment manufacturers and insurance companies.
The fire department officially classified the fire as undetermined; however, the department has reserved the right to evaluate new information and adjust opinions, should any additional data become available, Sullivan said. Structural damage from the fire was estimated at $757,000.
The investigation found the fire started in the kennel area about 10:40 p.m. Investigators noted that building material may have contributed to the smoke spread, and that the facility also didn’t have supervised smoke or heat detection devices or a fire suppression system. Investigators noted that interior smoke conditions changed rapidly at approximately 10:52pm.
As a result of investigating this incident, the fire department identified steps they could take to try to mitigate similar tragedies in the future, Sullivan said.
Already, the department has taken additional steps to help mitigate similar incidents in the future, including adding animal housing or care facilities to its annual, priority inspections list and auditing and inspecting the 23 animal care facilities in Georgetown and a large portion of its extra-territorial jurisdiction.
The department also has been working with the Building Standards Commission to provide recommended updates to the City fire codes. Notably, international fire codes do not impose these requirements, so Georgetown would be leading the way in protecting animal welfare.
“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.”
The proposed amendments would require animal housing or care facilities used for the temporary or permanent housing of animals to:
We received 71 comments about the new fire codes through the online public comment box. Comments that specified solutions were overwhelming supportive of requiring a smoke or fire detection system (75 percent) and a sprinkler system (74 percent). In discussions with the comment, most who commented against these new requirements expressed a concern for costs, both for the facilities and customers.
If council adopts the amendments as presented, facilities would have 90 days to develop a plan to bring their facilities into compliance, one year to install fire alarms, and two years to upgrade its building materials.
Council reviewed the proposed fire amendments during its workshop Tuesday. Council members generally supported the proposed code changes for new animal-care facilities, but most opposed making the requirements apply to existing businesses. During the workshop, council also proposed creating a system for indicating levels of compliance with the fire prevention requirements.
Chief Sullivan is scheduled to bring the fire code amendments to Council for a first reading at its regular meeting Feb. 8. Second reading and adoption are tentatively set for the council’s regular meeting Feb. 22.
Council workshop video: Item A | PowerPoint presentation
The City of Georgetown Building Standards Commission approved several changes to the Fire Code at its meeting on Oct. 21. Code changes would include a new definition of animal housing or care facilities—which include boarding kennels and veterinary offices—and require existing facilities to have a smoke- or heat-alarm system installed with automatic notification to a monitoring company, unless the facility has staff onsite at all times. New animal housing or care facilities would be required to have electronically supervised carbon-monoxide and smoke-detection systems. Automatic sprinkler systems would be required at new facilities, unless the facility installs a fire alarm system with automatic electronic notification to an alarm company and fire-resistant interior materials.
These fire code changes are expected to come before the City Council for review and possible amendment and/or adoption in January 2022.
Update on dog boarding facility fire investigation
Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan updated families and the news media on Friday, Oct. 1, on the investigation of the fire at a dog kennel facility in Georgetown, as well as proposed changes to City fire codes. The fire on Sept. 18 led to the tragic deaths of 75 dogs boarded at the Ponderosa Pet Resort, 2518 N. Austin Ave. Although firefighters responded to the 911 call in less than five minutes, none of the dogs in the facility survived. Twenty-five firefighters responded to the blaze.
Fire investigators with the Georgetown Fire Department have determined the fire started about 10:40 p.m. in the main kennel/boarding area of the facility. Probable ignition sources are still being evaluated. Sullivan said that investigators are focusing on devices in the kennel area that potentially malfunctioned.
Building material inside the kennel area may have contributed to an increased spread of smoke from the fire. The facility does not have monitored smoke or heat detection devices or a fire suppression system, such as sprinklers. Federal, state, and Georgetown fire codes do not require sprinkler systems for the use and size of the facility.
The Fire Department expects to have more details to share about the cause of the fire as the investigation continues.
“While the investigation is not complete, we have all the information we need to propose changes to our current fire codes,” Sullivan said.
The City of Georgetown is asking for input from the public on possible fire and building code changes that could be implemented to prevent future tragedies.
The Fire Department is drafting potential changes to the City’s fire codes that include a formal definition and criteria for animal care facilities. Options include monitored smoke and/or heat detection devices; building material requirements; access to exterior areas of safety; fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers; and/or 24-hour onsite staffing. The City plans to bring proposed changes to the Building Standards Commission on Oct. 14 before presenting possible changes to the City Council in November or December.
The Fire Department is currently conducting inspections of 23 animal care facilities in Georgetown and its surrounding extraterritorial jurisdiction area, which include animal boarding facilities and veterinary offices that board animals. The department also has added animal-care facilities to its list of structures that receive annual inspections in the future.
The presentation by Fire Chief John Sullivan at the news conference is available here.
Here is video of the Oct. 1, 2021 news conference including questions and answers.

City Council Tuesday, Sept. 28, directed City staff to move forward with creating a memorial or enhancement to the City’s Bark Park to honor the 75 dogs who lost their lives in the fire at Ponderosa Pet Resort and their family members. Staff will work with the families to determine how best to memorialize their pets and develop a process for raising funds for the project. More updates will be posted here and shared on social media as we have them.
Council Agenda Coversheet | Council Meeting Video: Item AK
The Georgetown City Council is working to create a permanent memorial for the lost family members. Council is set to approve the funding at its meeting Tuesday.
“The loss the families experienced of their loved ones on Saturday is a tragedy and one that breaks my heart,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “While it does not heal the pain the families feel, the City would like to establish a memorial at our Bark Park to honor the 75 dogs — family members, really — that lost their life. Our Council will be directing staff this upcoming Tuesday to begin the process in establishing this memorial and working with the families.”
We do not have additional information on the investigation; however, we wanted to address some questions and concerns we have been receiving in regard to our kennel permitting ordinance and occupancy requirements at pet-boarding facilities.
City Manager David Morgan goes through this information in the video below. We want to make a few things clearer:
More information and detail are available in the Question and Answer section below.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing and is expected to take at least into next week as we continue to review the scene, including watching video recordings and conducting interviews. Preliminary investigations have given us no information that indicates the cause of the fire was criminal in nature, and it is too soon to comment further. However, we have reached a point in our investigation to be able to release the pets back to their families. The owner of the facility is working to reunite the dogs with their families at an alternate location. Families should expect to receive an email notification from the owner today.
“As part of this investigation, we have been working closely with the owner, and our combined focus is to reunite families with loved ones,” Fire Chief John Sullivan said. “We understand people want answers. We want answers, too. We have to make sure we’re evaluating all the facts, so we can understand what happened, so we can better prevent this in the future.”
The business has confirmed 59 families lost loved ones Saturday. The City is not confirming identifies of the dogs or their families.
Federal, state, and Georgetown fire codes do not require sprinkler systems for the use and size of the facility. City code, available here, requires sprinklers for occupancies listed/operating as a business of at least 10,000 square feet. The facility involved in the fire has a square footage of 8,125. The City’s requirement supersedes and is more restrictive than national code requirements. City has been reviewing its fire codes, and we expect to present recommended updates to City Council in fall 2021. As a result of this incident, we also will evaluate options that could impose additional safeguards in animal care facilities. The Georgetown Fire Department last inspected the facility in 2015, at which time we found no violations to the fire code. The use of the facility is considered a low fire risk, and the use and structure have not changed since the inspection.
The City of Georgetown Animal Services Department regulates the care and keeping of animals in kennels through a 2013 ordinance linked here. The ordinance regulates such requirements as food, water, sanitary conditions, and health. It does not require sprinklers, smoke alarms, or 24/7 staffing. All kennels within the Georgetown city limits are required to have a kennel permit. The business from Saturday’s fire does not have a kennel permit; however, the requirements of the permit do not address such safety measures as fire suppression and warning systems. We know this business is not the only one to operate without a kennel permit, and the City is working to increase awareness, education, and enforcement about this requirement.
Additional updates will be provided as soon as possible, here, to local media, and on the City’s social media channels.
Video update from Chief John Sullivan on Sept. 20, 2021:

A fire at a pet-boarding facility in Georgetown Saturday night led to the deaths of 75 dogs.
Georgetown Fire Department responded to 911 calls about 11 p.m. at Ponderosa Pet Resort, 2518 N. Austin Ave. Crews arrived on scene in four and a half minutes. By that time, the facility was engulfed in smoke from the fire. None of the 75 dogs staying at the resort survived. No humans were injured or died in the fire. Twenty-five firefighters responded to the blaze.
“We know each dog that died in this fire was a cherished member of someone’s family, so our heart goes out to all those who were affected by this tragic fire,” Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan said. “We believe the dogs at the facility likely died due to smoke inhalation, not the flames from the fire. We are working as quickly as we can to conclude the investigation, so pets can be returned to their grieving family members as soon as possible.”
Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause and origin of the fire, as well as whether any fire suppression or smoke alarms were present. Federal, state, and Georgetown fire codes do not require sprinkler systems for the use and size of the facility.
The owner of the facility has been cooperative with the investigation. The facility will contact family members of the dogs to make arrangements to retrieve their deceased pets.
Video from Sunday, Sept. 19 news conference with Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan:

The information Chief Sullivan shared with council Jan. 25 details the findings of the fire investigation. Investigation reports themselves can be voluminous, so we tried to summarize the findings for the public in that presentation. The City does not regularly make investigation reports available to the public. People who want to request the full report can submit an open records request via the City website. Questions about this incident can be emailed to [email protected].
During those four months, the fire department interviewed a diverse group of stakeholders, conducted a basic, non-scientific burn evaluation of the construction material, and served a supporting role in coordinating investigations from third parties, including equipment manufacturers and insurance companies.
Fire investigators were unable to rule out an overloaded circuit as the cause of the fire, which is why the failure of the electrical system is one of our hypotheses.
The Georgetown Fire Department led the investigation into the cause of the fire. We worked closely with the Fire Marshal as well as other professionals. You can direct questions or requests for updates to [email protected].
We received several 911 calls from passersby about smoke and fire coming from the building.
The Georgetown Fire Department last inspected the facility in 2015, at which time we found no violations to the fire code. The use of the facility was considered a low fire risk, and the use and structure have not changed since the inspection.
During fire inspections, we look for compliance to the occupancy for what they’re in. In the case of pet-boarding facilities, which are classified as general business, we’re looking to make sure the doors are functioning properly, that it has proper hazard storage and lighting, etc.
The fire department performs inspections all the time. Outside of state-licensed facilities, like hospitals and schools, which are required to be inspected annually, each jurisdiction determines how often it inspections properties. For general business occupancies, like animal-housing facilities, the Georgetown Fire Department tries to perform fire inspections every three years. However, the fire department is in the process of changing its classification of animal-housing facilities to conduct inspections on these structures annually.
City code and fire departments inspected the facility at 2518 N. Austin Ave. for its Certificate of Occupancy for its current use as a pet-boarding facility in 2013. The structure was built in 1962. At the time, it was located outside the Georgetown City limits. It has had several uses through the decades, including a roofing company, a body and paint shop, and a plumbing supply outlet. Based on the uses and our fire codes throughout this time, City fire codes have not required smoke alarms and sprinklers in the structure.
The kennel permitting ordinance has several requirements as they relate to animal health, including that the facility must be adequate for the number and type of animals and the animals must be able to move about freely. Therefore, occupancy limits are subjective to allow for flexibility based on the size of the space and the size of the animals. For example, 30 kennels might be able to comfortably fit 50 smaller dogs, but would likely be inappropriate for 50 large dogs. Additionally, only dogs from the same household who are altered or of the same sex would be permitted to share a kennel.
First responders reported that the majority of kennels had one occupant, though there were a few larger kennels that had no more than two dogs. There were several kennels that were unoccupied. Based on calls for service rendered at the facility since it opened, we have no reason to believe the facility did not meet these or other, required standards.
Police and animal control calls for service to Ponderosa Pet Resort can be found here.
Fire and emergency medical calls for service to Ponderosa Pet Resort can be found here.
The City adopted the International Fire Code in 2014. We have spent the last year going through a comprehensive review of the entire code for recommended updates. This work includes reviewing what regulations other cities our size have adopted, as well as reviewing alternative requirements from the National Fire Protection Association. No designation for animal occupancy currently exists in the IFC, and we modeled our recommendation from only a handful of other cities and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 150) that now have these requirements.
The City of Georgetown Building Standards Commission approved several changes to the Fire Code at its meeting on Oct. 21, 2021. Relevant to pet-boarding facilities, the code changes would include a new definition of animal housing or care facilities—which include boarding kennels and veterinary offices—and require existing facilities to have a smoke- or heat-alarm system installed with automatic notification to a monitoring company, unless the facility has staff onsite at all times. New animal housing or care facilities would be required to have electronically supervised carbon-monoxide and smoke-detection systems. Automatic sprinkler systems would be required at new facilities, unless the facility installs a fire alarm system with automatic electronic notification to an alarm company and fire-resistant interior materials.
Council discussed proposed amendments to the fire code at its Jan. 25, 2022, workshop. Council discussed and approved amendments during its regular meeting Feb. 8, 2022. Council adopted the amendments codes during its regular meeting Feb. 22, 2022.
The updated codes require all existing facilities would have 18 months to install supervised fire-alarm systems once the codes go into effect. The codes will go into effect in March 2022, giving existing facilities until September 2023 to comply. Newly constructed animal-care facilities would have additional requirements. Of the 23 existing animal-care facilities in the Georgetown Fire Department service area, 17 did not have fire alarms as of Feb. 23, 2022.
The new codes will go into effect in March 2022.
Wren supported the inclusion of a section about animal housing facilities into the international codes.
The International Code Council conference and hearings took place Sept. 19-26, 2021. Read more here. The ICC is reviewing updates to the code that would go into effect in 2024.
Members of the public were able to submit comments through an online form, which went to a dedicated Georgetown Fire Department, from September 2021 through February 2022. Staff reviewed the more than 70 comments received through the online comment box, conversations with stakeholders, and other means prior to proposing the fire-code changes to council in January 2022.
People who still wish to provide comment may email [email protected].
The permit requirements are laid out in the code, available here.
This ordinance regulates such requirements as food, water, sanitary conditions, and health. It does not require sprinklers, smoke alarms, or 24/7 staffing.
With Ponderosa Pet Resort not operating at this time, the City has three known businesses that fall under this ordinance. Our records show one kennel had a permit before September 2021. On Sept. 30, 2021, City staff delivered letters of violation to the two known kennel operators to make them aware of the kennel permit requirements. As of January 2022, all three kennels within the City of Georgetown were permitted.
Once the City notifies a kennel operator about not complying with this ordinance, the operator has 90 days to comply. If that deadline isn’t met, staff will refer the matter to municipal court. The maximum fine set out in City code for not having a kennel permit is $500 per offense, per day as set out in Section 1.08.010.
If members of the public are aware of facilities that board more than five dogs or cats, please submit that information to [email protected].
The ordinance requires kennels reapply for a permit annually.
We do not expect to fine Ponderosa Pet Resort for not having a kennel permit prior to the Sept. 18, 2021, fire, because the City wasn’t actively enforcing its kennel permitting ordinance.
On Sept. 30, kennel permit requirements and violation letters were hand-delivered to the two known kennels operating without a permit. These kennels had 90 days to come into compliance. As of January 2022, all known kennels within the City of Georgetown were permitted.
As we had not enforced the kennel permit requirement prior to September 2021, we only inspected and issued a permit for the one kennel, which initiated the process itself. The two known kennels have 90 days from Sept. 30, 2021, to come into compliance. As of January 2022, all known kennels within the City of Georgetown were permitted.

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