Northampton Co. man dismayed after 13 hunting dogs die in suspected arson

The Northampton County Sheriff's Office is investigating a Sunday afternoon fire that killed 13 dogs – a fire that investigators said was intentionally set.

Elaster Powell came out to feed his hunting dogs Sunday and what he found shocked him.

Twenty one dogs were kenneled on the property, 13 of them died in a fire and just one escaped. Most of his dogs had been burned to death in their kennels.

"There was still fire on some of the roofs," Powell said.

One frightened, 6-month old beagle, named Little Girl, was in those kennels. She somehow escaped from the kennel and survived.

"How she got out I have no idea," Powell said.

The other surviving dogs were in separate kennels 40 feet away. Powell has trained hunting dogs for decades. These dogs hunt rabbits.

Investigators were still on scene Wednesday, looking for clues as to how the fire started.

The kennels sit among 37 acres that have been in Powell's family for decades. They are at the end of a dirt road and a mile-and-a-half from the main road.

That's one reason investigators think this fire was intentional.

"Somebody that’s very familiar with the area or familiar with the dogs in the area so it wouldn’t be any ordinary citizen driving through just happen to find this area,” said Patrick Jacobs with the Northampton County Sheriff's Office. "They were completely defenseless and it’s really a bad situation for any animal to sustain these types of injuries. They’re innocent."

The dogs ranged in ages from six months to seven years. Powell said finding his dogs in that condition almost gave him a heart attack.

"It's hard to even talk about it," Powell said. "It's hard to even think somebody in God's world would do something like this."

Powell said the damage to property and loss of the dogs is valued at nearly $5,000.

The Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information about this crime to contact them or Investigator, Sgt. W. Killian at 252-534-2611.