CEREDO, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A fire early Wednesday morning claimed the lives of at least ten dogs.

Neighbors say Barbara Bailey, an elderly woman who lived alone on Oakwood Drive in Ceredo, refused to part with any of her pets, who were living in desperate conditions.

Bailey says a space heater is to blame for the fire that started in her basement, where she kept about 25 dogs, mostly chihuahuas.

"She loved them all and just couldn't get rid of them,” neighbor Betty Preston said. “It just overwhelmed her."

Preston says she helped bury the dogs that died in the fire. She says if Bailey’s son hadn't shown up and pulled her out of the home, she might not have made it out herself.

"I believe she would have died with them trying to get them out,” Preston said. “She was just hysterical."

All the dogs made it difficult for fire crews to put the flames out.

"The natural tendency is not to hurt the dogs,” Ceredo Fire Department Chief Dave Caudill said, “and when you're dragging heavy fire equipment around, they're in the way and it makes it a little more nerve-racking to do the job."

Caudill also says they had serious problems fighting the fire because so much stuff, clothes and other items, were piled up all over the house.

Lora Fletcher does animal rescue work out of Lawrence County, Kentucky. She took seven of Bailey's dogs that survived back to her barn near Fallsburg.

"I'm sure she loved her dogs,” Fletcher said. “It just got out of hand. No dog should have to live like that."

Fletcher says this should be a reminder for all pet-owners to be sure to have them spayed and neutered.

Bailey is now staying with her son who lives next door. She's presently keeping about five of her dogs there with her.

Preston says four dogs are still missing.