Eight dogs killed in overnight fire at animal shelter in Kyiv Oblast

Blaze hits animal shelter outside Kyiv: 20 kennels destroyed, dogs dead

According to Рубрика — Суспільство: A fire tore through the Sirius animal shelter in the village of Fedorivka, part of the Dymer community in Kyiv Oblast, during the night of August 8, 2026. The flames consumed 20 enclosures, the food preparation room, a storage facility, and the fence. Staff at the shelter say they opened the kennels to release the animals: of the 70 dogs that were let out, eight died, and the rest were saved.

The fire covered an area of about 300 square meters. A total of 8 rescue workers and 2 fire trucks were deployed to fight the blaze, which was extinguished by 5:55 a.m. Tools, equipment, and stores of porridge were also destroyed in the fire. After being freed, some of the surviving dogs ran loose around the shelter grounds.

What caused the fire and what happens next

According to preliminary information from police, the likely trigger was an electrical short circuit.

"Preliminarily, the cause of the outbreak may have been a short circuit in the electrical wiring. Later, State Emergency Service units will provide final findings to the police," Kyiv Oblast police reported.

Shelter representatives gave the same explanation:

"At night, a short circuit happened at the shelter. A fire started. The flames spread to the kennels, kitchen, and workshop. Tools, equipment, and supplies of porridge were burned. We opened the kennels to release the dogs. Of the 70 dogs we could open the enclosures for, 8 died."

Kyiv Oblast police have opened criminal proceedings over violations of fire and technological safety regulations. The investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the tragedy.

This incident has intensified concern about fire preparedness at animal shelters, many of which operate with limited funding and rely heavily on volunteers. Ensuring basic fire safety measures can mean the difference between life and death for rescued animals, and the police investigation aims to identify not just the cause but also ways to avoid similar disasters in the future.