A fire that broke out at a Morrow County, Ohio, kennel Wednesday killed 70 puppies.

The dog-breeding facility, described as a puppy mill, is on state Route 314 in Mount Gilead.

A firefighter from the Johnsville Fire Department rescued one puppy after it ran into an open area, and the owner opened some exterior cages to let 17 more dogs escape the blaze, according to Columbia CBS affiliate WBNS-TV.

JFD Chief Harlan Barrick told ABC station WSYX that the fire lasted 40 minutes.

The unnamed mill owner told the department that the staff put wood into a burning stove to heat the structure. Fire officials didn’t say how the contraption’s fire spread to the rest of the structure.

Fire officials didn’t name the owner who helped free some of the dogs. The mill is registered to Laverne Troyer on the Ohio Department of Agriculture website.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.