The owners of Christal K-9, the west Lawrence pet business that caught on fire early Saturday, released a statement Thursday apologizing publicly for the first time to the families of the dogs.

Lulu and Jig, who died in a kennel fire at Christal K-9 on Nov. 29, 2014.

“Words cannot express how deeply this tragedy has affected those of us who have come to know and love these animals and their families over the years,” said a statement by Liz Devin that was posted on Christal K-9’s Facebook page. “The owners and staff of Christal K-9 offer our heartfelt condolences to the families who were affected by the fire.”

But for Eric and Vanessa Eicher, who lost two dogs, Lulu and Jig, in the fire, the condolences are not enough. Lulu was the first dog to die at the scene, and when the Eichers viewed her body, her white fur was black with smoke and she’d ripped the skin off the top of her nose in an apparent attempt to free herself from her cage.

“It’s always going to haunt me how they suffered,” Vanessa Eicher said.

Jig, the Eichers’ other dog, died Tuesday, Vanessa Eicher said, after “fighting for his life” in the intensive care unit of a veterinary hospital in Mission. Eicher said she was originally told that her dog was in the hospital only for “observation.” Another Christal K-9 patron, Nancy Hause, said she was told the same thing by Christal K-9 before her dog, Bentley, died.

Zebulon, left, who was in critical condition, and Bentley, who died, after a kennel fire at Christal K-9 on Nov. 29, 2014.

So far, three of the 21 dogs who were in the fire Saturday are confirmed dead, owners of the dogs said Thursday.

The fire started when the motor in a box fan froze, according to Lawrence fire officials.

The Eichers said Liz Devin’s co-owner, Cedric Devin, told them that firefighters were at the scene “within an hour,” but the couple said that seemed odd since Fire Station No. 3 is just a half-mile away at 3708 W. Sixth St. The Eichers also wondered why the business, which had live animals staying unattended overnight, apparently did not have a working alarm system that was linked to the fire department.

Firefighters were notified about 6:30 a.m. Saturday by Jazzercise customers arriving at the strip mall where Christal K-9 is located at 3115 W. Sixth St. Those customers smelled smoke and reported the fire.

In response to the fire, city officials said they were reviewing city codes and possible changes.

City staff has been directed to review existing kennels to determine whether they are in compliance with the city’s codes, according to an email from city spokeswoman Megan Gilliland.

City staff also will review city codes to determine whether city officials should consider improvements to kennel business standards, Gilliland said.

Gilliland said in the email that Christal K-9 “had not applied for a current kennel license,” which means the business was in violation of city code.

But Gilliland would not elaborate and did not respond to questions about when the license expired. A fire inspection was done as recently as October, but inspectors did not find any violations of fire code and there was no mention that the license was expired.

Cedric Devin told the Lawrence Journal-World Thursday that his attorneys had asked him not to comment.

“I’m tied legally,” Devin said in a telephone interview. “These are not my decisions to make.”

Hank Booth, a local personality and marketing consultant at Great Plains Media who has known Devin for several years, was surprised to learn about the expired license. But he said Devin has done much for animals and for the community over the years.

“I don’t know what it means,” Booth said. “He has done a lot of good things for the Humane Society and takes animals in all the time. He has put on clinics in the parking lot to raise money to help out some animal groups. He has always been there for people and animals.”

Hause, whose 14-year-old Bentley died from smoke inhalation, said Cedric Devin visited her Thursday.

“He came over just to express his regrets,” said Hause, whose other dog, Zebulon, survived the fire but is still in the hospital. “I know he cares about the animals and he so desperately wanted them to be OK.”

Fire inspectors estimated that damages to the building were about $60,000. Cedric and Liz Devin have owned the business several years.

Jazzercise, Christal K-9’s neighbor, has closed for several days while cleanup is underway.