About 40 dogs were killed in an early morning house fire in Washington state, after flames engulfed a home owned by a man who claimed to be a dog breeder, officials said.

Firefighters responded Friday around 2:30 a.m. to the fire in Poulsbo after a neighbor spotted the flames and called 911, Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue said in a statement.

The neighbor had reported that there may have been occupants inside the home, which was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.

Police were able to contact the homeowner after running the license plates on a vehicle outside the home and getting a phone number. The owner, who was not home at the time, arrived a short time later.

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Fire officials said that while no people were at the home at the time of the fire, dozens of animals were inside.

“Firefighters were able to rescue three dogs, but unfortunately, approximately 40 other dogs perished in the fire,” Ileana LiMarzi, a public information officer with the fire department, said in the statement.

LiMarzi told KOMO News that around a dozen cats also perished in the fire.

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“It’s a tough call, and it’s certainly not a situation that we’ve run into, as far as I know, in my 15 years here,” she told the outlet.

Fire officials did not immediately release the identity of the homeowner, though they said he claimed to be a dog breeder.

The three rescued dogs were released to Kitsap Animal Control for further care.

No further information about the animals found at the home was immediately available.

The Kitsap County fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

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