CHIPPEWA COUNTY (WEAU) - Investigators in Chippewa County are now looking into possible violations at a home where this fire happened earlier this week.

Katherine Henry lives at the home with her boyfriend and four children. They all made it out safely. Seven dogs were killed in the fire Tuesday.

Deputies say they found at least 59 dogs in a separate building on the property. They say they had to use breathing masks to enter because of the overwhelming stench.

WEAU 13 News talked to the Wisconsin Division of Animal Health on Thursday. It said it’s in their process of licensing Henry to sell dogs.

Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk says there's no ordinance against the number of dogs an owner can have on their property, but that the case is still under investigation.

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NEWS RELEASE-Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office Investigators along with Inspectors from the State Division of Animal Health are looking into possible violations related to housing and breeding numerous dogs at the residence of Katherine Henry 7201 25th Street in the Town of Howard Chippewa County.

This is the same location of a fire earlier this week that destroyed the house on the property.

On the date of the fire Chippewa Fire District fire officials notified the Sheriff’ Office of a large number of dachshund dogs seen in a separate building on the property.

Upon entering the building with the owner to retrieve two dogs unrelated to the fire, fire officials advised they were overcome by the smell of urine and dog feces and contact the Sheriff’s Office to further investigate.

Deputies counted at least 59 dogs in the building and utilized fire department breathing apparatus to enter the area due to the overwhelming stench.

Sheriff’s Office Investigators and State inspectors are expected to visit the property today as they continue their investigation.

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Story from 1/31:

TOWN OF HOWARD, Wisc. (WEAU) -- An early morning fire tears apart the home of a family of eight near Colfax.

The Chippewa Fire District says the family is lucky to be alive after smoke detectors failed to sound.

Katherine Henry, boyfriend Mathew Pike and four children were able to make it out of the home safely at around 1:30 Tuesday morning, seven family dogs were not so lucky even though one of the dogs helped save the family

Katherine Henry woke Tuesday morning to one of her dogs biting at her blanket, her leg, anything to wake her up so she would notice what was happening around her.

“I heard the glass from the French doors break and I got up and saw the flames and heard it, went out and saw everything and everything was just engulfed in flames,” she tells us.

Flames and smoke everywhere, it's how the Chippewa Fire District found the home along 25th Street in the Town of Howard, near Colfax.

“They are very lucky, they were able to get from the second floor to the first floor before the fire cut their means of egress off,” Chief Fire Inspector John Anderson says.

After the family made it outside, Anderson says Mathew Pike ran back inside in an attempt to save some of the dogs, he was unsuccessful. But Katherine says while she lost a lot, it's moments like this that make someone realize what's really important.

“I lost a lot of memories and things I can't recover but my children are everything ya know, they are things that can’t be replaced,” Katherine tells us.

Chief Anderson says this house fire is an example of why fire departments preach fire prevention.

“The smoke detectors were not activated in the house, and that's one of the critical things that you have smoke detectors on both levels of your house and make sure you check them often,” he advises.

Katherine's other two kids weren't home at the time. She says the entire community has been so helpful, offering support, hugs, and comfort. The family says they have insurance, but there's about $150,000 worth of damage.

A benefit fund has been set up at RCU. You can stop by any branch location to make a donation to the Katherine Henry Benefit or you can mail in donations to P.O. Box 970, Eau Claire, WI 54702.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A family is without a home after a fire destroyed it Tuesday morning.

The Chippewa Fire District says it happened around 1:30 a.m. at 7201 25th Street in the Town of Howard in Chippewa County. Investigators say firefighters saw heavy fire coming from the northeast corner of the multi-story home. Six people were home at the time of the fire. The department says Katherine Henry woke up when she heard breaking glass and saw the light from the fire. She was able to wake up Matthew Pike and her four children.

Smoke detectors did not go off in the home. The department says Pike tried to rescue four dogs from the fire, but couldn’t. Three of the four dogs were killed in the fire.

Both Henry and Pike were treated at the scene for non-life threatening injuries. The four children were not hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the fire is not considered to be suspicious. Damage is estimated at about $150,000.