Kennel Owner Who Fled Ohio Train Derailment Says Business Destroyed

Katie Schwarzwaelder moved 30 dogs to a friend's basement

Three Doberman pinschers bask in the sun at Von Schwarz Doberman Kennel in Darlington Township, Pennsylvania, before the nearby Norfolk Southern train derailment forced the kennel owner to evacuate. Courtesy of Katie Schwarzwaelder

Champion dog breeder, trainer, and kennel owner Katie Schwarzwaelder was out of town celebrating her 30th birthday when alarming phone calls got her phone jumping.

Friends and neighbors saw distant smoke in the direction of her 27-acre property in Darlington Township, Pennsylvania, and thought her kennel was on fire. Schwarzwaelder immediately called her kennel manager.