The fire at Long Island’s Happy Cat Sanctuary that killed owner Chris Arsenault and over 160 animals has been deemed not suspicious by authorities investigating the blaze.
The fire began around 7:15am on March 31 and firefighters had it under control by 8:35am. However, the sanctuary had turned to rubble by this time.
Arson is not suspected, according to Brookhaven Fire Marshal Chris Mehrman. Police had confirmed that detectives from the homicide and arson squads were originally investigating the cause of the fire, but it’s now officially undetermined.
It’s thought that the fire began indoors, with Mehrman telling CBS that authorities aren’t ruling out propane-fed portable heaters being the cause. Holes cut into walls and floors for the cats helped the fire spread, he added. Officials said they’d been working with Arsenault to resolve code violations before the fire occurred, but they didn’t go into more detail on the specific issues.
Arsenault converted his home in Medford into the sanctuary and kept at least 300 cats. More than 100 were found dead during the first search and rescue efforts, while rescuers with the Strong Island Animal Rescue League and Paws of War said on Monday (April 7) that another 54 were found dead, bringing the total to over 160 animals.
Frankie Floridia, a rescuer with Strong Island Animal Rescue League, said in a video on social media, “Today has been a gruesome day as far as finding out how many more cats were actually in the house, once we got some access to the house.”
Robert Misseri of Paws of War added, “When we set out this morning, the goal was always to see if there were any injured cats post-fire that went back into the rubble.
“Thank God there were no living cats that were injured, but 54 deceased additional cats, over the 100, have been removed. Very difficult for our team here today."
He also said that three of the cats found deceased belonged to Arsenault himself.
The surviving cats are being treated off-site, with Happy Cat Sanctuary volunteer Lisa Jaeger saying, “We vetted, vaccinated, snap tested, microchipped... cut nails, cleaned up, gave shots of antibiotics to cats that needed it. There isn't going to be enough hours in the day for me to thank the Long Island people who have stepped up to provide food, prayers."
Rescuers are continuing to search the local area for any cats who may have escaped, and adoptions will be operated by Happy Cat Sanctuary at the warehouse.
Jaeger has organized a GoFundMe to help support the sanctuary following the fire, and almost $800,000 has already been raised. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.
If you’d like to help cats without a home, here are 32 reasons to adopt a cat
