UPDATE: Electric short caused fire; 8 puppies perish

A Thursday night house fire in which a litter of puppies died was believed to be caused by an electrical short, according to the Maricopa Fire Department.

Fire crews responded to the fire on the 19000 block of Condrey Avenue in the Heritage District around 10:15 p.m. The blaze originated inside an addition on the back of a mobile home.

The department says eight puppies near where the fire started were overcome by heat and smoke. Firefighters found the puppies under debris.

No residents or emergency personnel were injured.

According to a department press release, fire investigators ruled the cause of the fire was “an electrical short from multiple extension cords inside the addition.”

The release states that fire crews from all four Maricopa fire stations responded to the call. One engine was unable to get to the fire because it was stopped by a train on John Wayne Parkway.

No one was found inside the house when crews arrive, said department spokesman Jon Sheaffer. He said residents told firefighters the puppies had been inside a box.