STACY (AP) -- Authorities say 18 dogs died when fire destroyed a boarding kennel north of the Twin Cities.

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire at Waterview Kennels in Stacy on Tuesday.

Isanti Fire District Chief Al Jankovich says the kennel building was fully engulfed and the roof had collapsed by the time firefighters arrived about 4:30 a.m.

Jankovich says the pole barn building with wood beams and tin sheeting had the kennel on one side and a garage on the other. It did not have a sprinkler system.

The chief says a wood boiling system that heats the building is something investigators are looking at as a possible cause of the fire.

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