Target: Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal, Ontario, Canada.
Goal: Order a full provincial investigation and, if fire code or animal-care violations allegedly contributed to the reported deaths, impose maximum penalties and mandate urgent safety upgrades at animal facilities.
Authorities and rescuers reportedly found devastation after a building fire at an animal sanctuary, with at least 30 cats said to have died from smoke inhalation while trapped inside. Twelve cats were pulled out alive. Dozens more housed elsewhere on the property were safe. The cause was reportedly traced to a mechanical-room area, and the incident has shocked supporters who expected robust protections for confined animals.
These fatalities raise immediate questions about monitored smoke detection, alarm notification, staffing after hours, evacuation planning, and segregation of animals from higher-risk utility spaces. When animals cannot self-rescue, facility operators shoulder a heightened duty of care. Any alleged lapse must be examined against the Ontario Fire Code and the Provincial Animal Welfare Services standards.
A transparent, independent inquiry is essential. If investigators confirm code breaches or neglect that heightened risk or delayed rescue, those allegedly responsible should face the strongest penalties allowed. Sign below to demand the findings trigger province-wide directives requiring monitored alarms, sprinklers where required by code, written evacuation plans with drills, and regular inspections for every shelter, rescue, and sanctuary that houses animals overnight.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Fire Marshal Pegg,
We are calling for your office to conduct a comprehensive cause-and-origin investigation and a parallel compliance review after a sanctuary fire reportedly left at least 30 cats dead from smoke inhalation. These animals were seemingly confined without the ability to escape. Their safety depended entirely on the systems and procedures in place.
Please assess whether the facility met Ontario Fire Code requirements for detection, notification, and suppression, and whether operational practices for housing animals in proximity to mechanical spaces were appropriate. We also ask that you coordinate with Provincial Animal Welfare Services to evaluate animal-care safeguards tied to emergency readiness.
If your investigation confirms any Fire Code or animal-care violations that allegedly contributed to these deaths, we urge you to seek maximum penalties and to issue province-wide directives that require monitored alarms, sprinkler protection where applicable, 24/7 emergency contact protocols, and documented evacuation plans and drills for all animal-housing operations. These cats reportedly died in preventable circumstances. Future animals must not face the same fate.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: André Karwath
