CLIO -- Update:
Clio Police took two 14-year old suspects from Clio into custody that were believed to be responsible for the fire. Both were released to their parents Sunday night.
Dotty's Feed was destroyed along with Doggy Depot which was located next to the pet supply.
Doggy Depot owner April French told NBC25 she is working with insurance companies and is already making plans to open up a shop in another location.
Clio Police say they will gather more evidence and then hand the case over to the Genesee County Prosecutors Office.
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John Elliott said his instincts kicked in when he learned the orange flames shooting high into the sky were coming from Dotty's Feed and Pet Supplies on Vienna Street.
He was one of the several first responders.
"It was crazy,” Elliott described.
“It was definitely insane, but I mean, at just that given moment, you just don't think about it. You just go and then do what you gotta do."
Elliott, his two kids and another man got to the scene before the fire departments. They busted the doors open and came out with four tanks of lizards and most of the mice and hamsters in the pet store. They worked until firefighters told them it was no longer safe.
"People just started pulling up to the side of the road. We probably had about 20 people in there trying to grab all the cages. There were some that were just too big, but we tried to save all that we could,” Elliott said. He said an alligator and some turtles housed near the front of the store were among the pets that had to stay inside.
Hundreds of onlookers lined Vienna and State streets, snapping pictures and taking video as crews from Clio, Mt. Morris, Flushing and Montrose Township fought the flames.
Clio police and Genesee County Sheriff's deputies launched a preliminary investigation into the fast-moving fire.
At the time NBC25 left the scene, police had one person in custody. They did not say whether he's a suspect or if the fire was suspicious.
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Several fire departments and police agencies are at the scene of a working structure fire at Dotty's Pet Center in Clio Road.
Authorities tell NBC25, the fire started at 315 W. Vienna St. and spread to a second building that houses two businesses. Crews from Clio, City of Mt. Morris, Montrose Township and Flushing responded to the scene around 6:15 p.m., as well as the Salvation Army, Genesee Co. Sheriff's Department and Clio police.
Some quick-moving people rushed into Dotty's and carried some animals out in cages.
A preliminary investigation is underway. Authorities are not saying whether the fire is suspicious. Smoke from the fire was visible from as far as Saginaw Sunday evening.
