Seventeen cats killed in Los Angeles strip mall fire

Seventeen cats were killed after a massive fire broke out at a strip mall in Palms, Los Angeles and engulfed a boarding hotel for pets on Saturday. The pet hotel was located within the premises of the mall.

More than 120 firefighters responded to the 911 call made on Saturday morning. It took them around 73 minutes to douse the "major emergency structure fire," that tore through a number of commercial buildings in the area.

A firefighter also had to be admitted to a hospital after he "took ill during the intense firefight," per a statement by the Fire Department.

"He became acutely ill, and we are very sensitive to our members in the field of battle so we made sure out of an abundance of caution that he was taken to a hospital for further evaluation," Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"Heavy smoke impacted at least half-dozen businesses, including a feline overnight boarding facility where several cats were rescued, but others sadly perished," he added.

Only two cats out of the nineteen that were kept at the pet hotel called Cat Place LA survived the horrific incident. They were given to the facility's owner and put into veterinary care, according to a report in The Mirror.

Firefighters remained on the scene to speak with and assist the owners of the cats who had come looking for their pets. "It was a very emotional scene this morning, to say the least," Humphrey added.

The website of the boarding facility states that it "is a luxury cage-free hotel exclusively for cats." No one from the establishment has yet come forward to comment on the incident.

The fire damaged four other businesses in the one-storey strip mall. The businesses included a nail salon, a smoke shop, a martial arts studio, and a staffing agency. A jewellery store and a restaurant were also affected in the incident.

The authorities have launched an investigation to find the cause of the fire. "None of the involved businesses were equipped with optional fire sprinklers," per the LA Fire Department.