Inquiry continues into Los Banos house fire that killed 32 dogs

Investigators continued to work Tuesday to determine the cause of a fire last week that killed 32 dogs kept as pets in a home near Los Banos.

Attempts by the Sun-Star to reach the pet owners, Marylynn Gomes and Michael Gomes, were unsuccessful Tuesday. Calls to phone numbers linked to the two in property and voting records went unanswered.

A total of 32 dogs died Dec. 16 when flames broke out at a home on Pioneer Road.

The animal control division of the Merced County Sheriff’s Department is working with the county branch of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to investigate the blaze. It remains unclear when the investigation is expected to wrap up.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Dover confirmed neither resident had the necessary permits to house that many pets. Merced County residents are required to have property use permits and kennel permits if they have more than four “domesticated animals,” Dover said.

“To have that many pets is pretty unusual,” Dover said. “But we’re still investigating the situation.”

Dover said no criminal charges had been sought as of Tuesday and that the Merced County District Attorney’s Office would make that determination in the future.

“We are mindful of the fact that we are faced with a situation where we have people who just lost their home, lost almost everything they had and had this happen just before Christmas,” Dover said. “It’s not clear yet who was actually responsible for the care of the pets.”

Fire Battalion Chief Jeremy Rahn said firefighters have not determined what may have caused the fire and declined to discuss any working theories investigators may have. A financial damage estimate was not available Tuesday.

Rahn said the home was badly damaged in the blaze, but he stopped short of calling it a total loss.

“There was major damage to about three-quarters of the house; interior and exterior fire damage and significant smoke damage,” Rahn said. “We were able to save some property in some of the rooms.”

Authorities said both residents are staying with family members.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Inquiry continues into Los Banos house fire that killed 32 dogs."