An electrical fire that broke out in the back room of the Curry Corner dog grooming business at 19 Washington Road left nine dogs dead, despite the heroic acts of the business owner, who ran back inside to save seven of them.
When the fire broke out around 7:15 p.m. on July 1, Nancy Simmons, the owner of the business, which is based in Lawrence, tried to put out the flames with water, but the situation worsened quickly, and Simmons turned her efforts to saving the dogs.
“Nancy got all but two clients’ dogs out of the building before she even thought about her own,” said Stephanie Brocksbank, of the Animal Placement Agency of the Windsors (APAW), and a close friend of Simmons. In the end, Simmons lost seven of her own dogs — six Great Dane puppies and the pups’ mother, Cherese — and could not get to two of her clients’ dogs. Brocksbank said that one of the puppies in the litter survived.
In fact, that puppy may have helped Simmons, a well-known dog lover, who was being treated for smoke inhalation as a result of the ordeal. “Her blood pressure was so high when they were treating her,” said Brocksbank, who was on scene to help and said that rescue crews placed the surviving puppy on the gurney next to Simmons. “I saw it first hand. She hugged that puppy during the whole thing. Her blood pressure steadily went down. She clutched that dog like a teddy bear.” Simmons was taken to University Medical Center at Princeton, where she was treated and released.
According to Brocksbank, Simmons, who has been grooming for 40 years, is very conscientious about her clients’ pets and is very active in Great Dane rescue. “She cares about all dogs,” she said. “She just wanted to do the right thing. I don’t know how many people would go for their clients’ dogs first, especially when she had babies in there.”
“It’s amazing that so many of them survived; that place just went up,” added Brocksbank.
As for the fire, crews from Princeton Junction and West Windsor fire companies arrived on the scene just moments after Simmons called 911, but the building was already completely consumed. Brocksbank commended the work of the emergency crews as well as two unnamed passersby who helped Simmons.
Brocksbank said a truck driver named Jim from Minnesota who saw the fire pulled over and helped hold the dogs on leashes. A man leaving the Princeton Junction train station called 911 for Simmons.
The animals rescued from the building were taken to Twin Rivers Animal Hospital in East Windsor, where they were checked by emergency veterinarians and held until their owners could pick them up.
Brocksbank said that the building will not be rebuilt, and Simmons will not be back in West Windsor for grooming. She will still run her shop in Lawrenceville.
Speaking to the News on July 6, Brocksbank said Simmons was a “survivor” and has friends who were helping her through the tragedy. “She’s going to try and groom three dogs today,” she said. “She lost everything. All of her grooming supplies and all of her stuff was burned up.”
Anyone who would like to help can send donations to Curry Corner’s Lawrenceville location at 23 Philips Avenue, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648.
