HILLSVILLE -- Hillsville fire officials had not pinpointed the cause Friday of a fire that killed 30 to 40 puppies Sunday afternoon, and the owner is making plans to rebuild the kennel.

Junior Horton said Thursday night that not all his puppies were in the converted mobile home that burned. He said about as many were saved as were lost. He got puppies out of two other buildings.

"I'm going to put another puppy house up. It just overwhelmed me," said Horton, who has been raising and selling puppies for about 10 years.

The burned remains of the structure had been cleared away by Thursday.

"I hate it so bad for him," said Kathy Alderman, a Hillsville resident who had shopped at Horton's puppy farm. She said she was impressed at how neat Horton kept his kennels. "They were cleaner than my floors."

She said all the puppies looked well-fed, "and they were so friendly." Horton has business and kennel licenses for the enterprise.

Horton raises West Highland, Yorkshire and Jack Russell terriers, miniature schnauzers, Shih Tzus, toy poodles, dachshunds and other breeds. He started with Jack Russells, he said, and then just gradually got into the business. "Went to the dogs," he said.

He and his wife do not have insurance to cover the loss. "Just have to move on, I guess," he said. "I got enough money to put in another building, I hope."

He speculated that a bad electric cord could have sparked the fire. Nearly 30 firefighters responded to the fire in Hillsville just off Howlett Street.

-- Paul Dellinger