Five cats have been found dead after a suspicious fire erupted at a dog kennel on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, police have said.
The force received multiple reports at 8.39pm on Thursday that a kennel near a village house located at 8 Yat Tung Street in Tung Chung had caught fire.
The Fire Services Department dispatched a team equipped with breathing apparatus and put out the blaze at about 9pm.
Firefighters rescued three dogs but later found the carcasses of five cats.
Authorities contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for assistance.
The department believed there were suspicious circumstances to the fire and has set up a team to investigate its cause.
No residents were reported injured in the blaze.
Earlier this month, 71 cats were found dead after an electrical short circuit in the air-conditioning system caused a fire at a two-storey tin-roofed house in Pat Heung.
Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, it is illegal for anyone to engage in any act that causes unnecessary suffering to any animal, without reasonable cause.
Offenders face a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a HK$200,000 (US$25,610) fine.
