The day after a fire swept through a Miami pet store killing 30 puppies, a dog named Blackey hung around the back door like an apparition. 
 
 He stalked around the alley behind the strip mall in the 3200 block of Northwest Seventh Street where, the night before, a fire that started in a bead shop damaged the six stores based there. 
 
 Two shops, Fancy Bead and El Bohio Bakery Cafe, were condemned and could remain closed for six months. 
 
 Beverly Hills Puppies, which sits in the middle of the strip mall just outside West Little Havana, had smoke damage but no serious structural damage. The shop could reopen in a couple of weeks. 
 
 But all 30 English and French bulldog puppies the shop had in its cages died of smoke inhalation. 
 
 Owner Martin Leon told Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4 that he was devastated to know the puppies were trapped in the store, helpless, when the smoke began to pour in. 
 
 “It wasn’t the fire that killed them, it was the smoke,” he said. “They could not breathe.” 
 
 It’s also a financial loss for Leon. The sale of each dog would’ve fetched more than $2,000. Leon had no insurance on the store. 
 
 The fire broke out about 10 p.m. Wednesday night, said Miami Fire-Rescue Lt. Ignatius Carroll. 
 
 In the back of Fancy Bead, the easternmost shop in the strip, an overloaded electrical outlet sparked and caught fire. Flames spread into the ceiling and the roof, then to the adjacent shops. 
 
 Two doors down from the bead shop, the fire destroyed the kitchen of La America Cantina. 
 
 About 40 Miami firefighters worked the smoky blaze for more than an hour. 
 
 Eddie Morales, who works in his father’s upholstery shop at the opposite end of the strip from where the fire started, said he remembered puppies in the pet shop about half an hour after smoke was first spotted. 
 
 After a struggle with the tightly locked door, firefighters managed to get in and tried to rescue the puppies. 
 
 It was too late. 
 
 “It’s really unfortunate,” Carroll said. “People can replace or fix other items, but he can’t replace those puppies.” 
 
 Morales recalled how well the employees at Beverly Hills Puppies cared for the dogs. The puppies were always clean, as was the shop. 
 
 “They took good care of them,” he said. 
 
 His father’s shop, Alberto Upholstery, had smoke damage but no structural damage — about $8,000 to $9,000 he said. Among other things, Morales and his father had just finished reupholstering two sofas, which will need to be redone. 
 
 All of that can be replaced, Morales said. His father had insurance on the shop. They’ll be fine. 
 
 Thursday afternoon, Morales sat on a milk crate in the back alley, exhausted. He’d been up all night, cataloging the damage to give to insurance adjusters in the morning. 
 
 Blackey, who belongs to a homeless man who hangs out near the strip mall, curled up at the back door of the pet shop and heaved a great sigh. ||||| MIAMI (WSVN) -- Thirty puppies were killed in a massive fire that broke out inside a strip mall Wednesday night. 
 
 The blaze broke out at about 10:30 p.m. on Northwest Seventh Street and 32nd Avenue. Firefighters said the 2-alarm fire spread to the roof of the strip mall, affecting several businesses, including a pet store called Beverly Hills Puppies. 
 
 A 7News viewer sent in video of police officers and firefighters responding to the blaze. By the time crews discovered the puppies, it was too late. "As we were able to bring this fire under control, we started to do our search to make sure nobody was inside," said Miami Fire Rescue Lieutenant Ignatius Carroll. "We noticed that a business here sells puppies, and unfortunately we had numerous puppies inside that did not make it." 
 
 The owner said 30 English and French bulldogs died of smoke inhalation. "We've been destroyed because of the fire. The puppies passed away, and second of all, there is no insurance to cover it," said Beverly Hills Puppies owner Martin Leon. 
 
 The dogs are valued at $2,000 each. 
 
 Crews, however, were able to rescue a few puppies from the store. "We did pull out several cages that had about seven or eight puppies," said Carroll. 
 
 The owner said, while this fire is financially devastating, the dogs mean much more to him than the money. 
 
 The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 
 
 (Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
– Downer of the day: A fire last night at a strip mall in Miami killed 30 puppies, reports the Miami Herald. The pups died of smoke inhalation—all were French and English bulldogs, breeds known for having respiratory trouble. Firefighters were able to rescue a handful, but the owner of Beverly Hills Puppies says most of those in the store died, reports WSVN-TV. The bulldogs sell for $2,000 apiece. No word yet on what caused the fire.