46 puppies die in Wasilla kennel fire

WASILLA — An early morning Monday fire on North Sasbo Bluff Loop claimed 46 Labrador Retriever puppies and destroyed a large kennel.

The Bernier family — Ron, his wife Jonnie, and their nine children own and operate Alaska Retrievers in the Meadow Lakes area. Although 32 adult Labradors made it out of the blaze safely, the almost four dozen pups from five litters perished. All of them had just been moved from the family home into the kennel--an outbuilding on the property several days prior. Bernier has been breeding and training Labradors for both field and show since 1989.

Bernier, who made a valiant effort to try and save the canines, was hospitalized from smoke inhalation and burns to his arms. He has since left the hospital, to the dismay of staff who wanted him to remain longer, turning his attention toward regaining some sense of normalcy and getting a building up to re-house the animals.

Bernier said he was alerted to the problem when one of his children yelled that the kennel was ablaze around 1 a.m. Monday morning.

"My son came up the stairs yelling 'fire...fire, the kennel's on fire!’" Bernier said. "When I got outside, there were no flames on walls, it was all coming out the roof. The adult dogs were able to get out through the doggie door. "

Bernier said he ran outside in his stocking feet, trying to get all the dogs out of the kennel. Despite numerous attempts to clear out all the dogs, Bernier said flames and smoke forced him back.

"I tried to get inside, I made it three or four feet and then I had to come back out," Bernier said.

Firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading to an area where livestock was located and more importantly, away from the family home.

The rear of the large structure served as dog runs while the front part housed sleeping and eating quarters for the kennel. That section was destroyed. By Thursday morning, the rubble had been cleared leaving just a large cement floor which made up the living quarters for the dogs.

Bernier said he built the structure in 2000. Since then, he had reinsulated the living quarters area and placed two-inch Styrofoam. He said when he added the additional insulation, he had seen signs of mice.

"I had that part of the kennel buttoned up tight. I heated it with hot water (from an outside boiler). That is not going to catch fire," Bernier said. Although the fire's cause remains uncertain at this point, he feels strongly that it was probably the result of mice chewing on wires.

Bernier said he had plans to redo the kennel last summer. However, in May, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Instead of construction work, trips to a Texas treatment center occupied his time and left him in no shape to tackle such a project.

It didn't take long for word to get around about the blaze and the family's loss. Mat-Su veterinarian technician Lisa Carpenter, who heard about the ordeal from a family member, took it upon herself to issue a call to arms on Facebook. Carpenter, who also is involved with several area animal rescue groups, stated she was hoping for a handful of volunteers to assist the Berniers with cleanup and picking up the pieces.

However, three to four dozen people showed up later that day. Some brought themselves, others brought food and supplies. Bernier said thanks to a large number of donated crates, the dogs have been temporarily moved inside the family home. Bernier said the kennel wasn't insured mainly because he was constantly making improvements, making it more difficult to obtain insurance.

A gofundme.com account has been set up to assist the family recover from the loss. To make a donation, search out Bernier-family-fund. An account has also been established at Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union. Bernier said he has been overwhelmed with the amount of support.

He said there are enough crates to house his dogs but that lumber and building supplies would be welcomed. He hopes to get a temporary structure up as soon as possible.

West Lakes Fire Chief John Fairchild said about 25 firefighters from West Lakes, Houston and Central Mat-Su departments responded to the call.

"When we arrived, we knocked down the exterior wall (fire) and then worked on the interior," Fairchild said. "But it was already totally involved when we got there."

Fairchild said the fire crew began clearing the scene around 3 a.m. Although the structure is still standing, the kennel is a total loss. Fairchild said the fire's cause remains under investigation.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com