1. Kimbrough Animal Hospital rebuilding after fire
2. Kimbrough Animal Hospital fully functional

LONGVIEW (KYTX) – Hundreds gathered in Longview to pray for the families who lost pets in a fire last week. An accidental fire at the Kimbrough Animal Shelter killed 38 animals, a devastating loss for both the families and the staff members at the hospital.

“These firemen went in with their lives to get y’all’s pets out,” said Dr. Kenny Kimbrough. “And my staff we tried to get them going. We just couldn’t get them going.”

Some of the families said the vigil helped bring them closure. Dan Larrington and his family lost their dog Lucy in the fire. They were to pick her up from boarding Wednesday morning. But she died before her family could see her again.

“She was always there when you got home, there with her tail wagging, ready to play with her ball and just be your companion,” Larrington said.

Kimbrough told CBS19 his staff is working with those who lost pets to support them in any way they can, including finding new pets for them to love.

The animal hospital has temporarily moved next door until the current facility can be rebuilt. There’s still no official cause of the fire, but Kimbrough said it may have been caused by a computer battery that overheated.