Donations are pouring in for a Sussex County animal rescue organization reeling from a shelter fire that claimed the lives of six dogs.
A GoFundMe created by One Step Closer Animal Rescue (O.S.C.A.R.) had raised more than $300,000 within 24 hours of the fire, reported around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the shelter on Stanhope-Sparta Road in Hopatcong.
«We are grieving them deeply,» the GoFundMe stated. «They were not just animals in our care. They were part of our family.»
O.S.C.A.R. staff members at the shelter when the fire broke out «did everything they could» to save as many dogs as possible, Kowalchuk said. Many of them ran back inside multiple times to take out more animals, repeatedly risking their own lives in the process.
Lori Barrick, a longtime O.S.C.A.R. volunteer, got to the shelter about 30 to 45 minutes after the fire started. By that time, she said, much of the building had already burned down.
«No one could go back in other than the firemen,» Barrick said. «It was smoking, hot, smelled — every nightmare that you think.»
Staff at the scene worked together to corral the dogs — many of whom were running loose after being rescued from the building — into crates and cars to ensure they were safe. A neighboring business provided bolt cutters for cages with keys that were burned in the fire, Barrick said.
Many local kennels and veterinary offices reached out to O.S.C.A.R. as soon as they learned of the fire to offer space for dogs, Kowalchuk said. Other volunteers came by to bring the animals to their temporary homes since the organization had no way to transport them.