A raging fire consumed the the Sembawang God of Wealth Temple on the night of Sep. 18.
While there were no human casualties, three stray dogs that were under the care of the temple did not survive.
The temple housed seven strays in total.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Mothership that they rescued one of the canines, and found the bodies of three dogs in the aftermath of the fire.
Some social media users were concerned that the dogs were chained up or put in enclosures, thus leading to the animals being trapped in the blaze.
As speculations on the dogs' living conditions are rife, the temple has taken to Facebook to clarify the situation.
According to the temple, they did not chain the dogs.
When Chained Dog Awareness in Singapore (CDAS) visited more than a year ago, the dogs were confined to cages in the day, but allowed to roam at night.
The animal welfare organisation noted that the strays appeared comfortable in their enclosures.
It is not clear if the same practice is still in place at the time of the fire.
The temple revealed that the three dogs that did not survive were trapped on the second floor, while the remaining four managed to escape to safety.
Photos of the dogs' apparent living environment accompanied the post.
Photo via Sembawang God of Wealth Temple/Facebook
Photo via Sembawang God of Wealth Temple/Facebook
Photo via Sembawang God of Wealth Temple/Facebook
Photo via Sembawang God of Wealth Temple/Facebook
You can read the clarification post here:
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Top image via Sembawang God of Wealth Temple/Facebook