Fire at Galleria Animal Clinic Forces Evacuation

HOUSTON, TX — A dryer that caught fire at a Galleria veterinary clinic on Thursday resulted in the evacuation of all personnel and animals, including some undergoing surgical procedures at the time.

Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, located at 1111 West Loop South, was evacuated around 11:15 a.m.

Jennifer Roth, who had gone to the hospital to pick up her dog, told KPRC2 that when she arrived, the sight of fire trucks blocking the clinic’s entrance alarmed her.

"I panicked,” Roth said. “I just drove around the feeder and parked over here and walked over here and they had someone waiting there waiting to tell us everyone was OK. All of the dogs were out immediately."

Stacy Welch, a clinic employee, said, "I was in my office. I smelled smoke. I'm on the lowest level. I grabbed my dogs. I ran outside. The alarm had not gone off yet. I saw smoke coming from the lowest level up the stairwell. I dialed 911 at that point."

Reports stated that no injuries were caused by the fire, and that all owners of pets at the clinic at the time had been notified.

— Image courtesy Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists