Owner, countless cats killed in fire at animal sanctuary on Long Island
MEDFORD, Long Island (WABC) -- The owner of a cat sanctuary and an unknown number of cats were killed in a fire on Monday morning.
The blaze broke out around 7:15 a.m. at the Happy Cat Sanctuary on Dourland Road. The home served as a safe haven for hundreds of cats.
Officials say owner Chris Arsenault, 65, was found on the main floor in the back of his home. Roughly 100 cats have been found so far -- both dead and alive.
Friends say Arsenault went back into the home to rescue the animals after the fire broke out.
"This man lived in an 8x10-foot bedroom with a mini fridge and a microwave, every dime he made, everything he collected went toward the animals, he was selfless, he took nothing for himself, this is just so unfair," said friend Lisa Jaeger.
Arsenault began rescuing cats in 2006 after his 24-year-old son died in a motorcycle crash.
"If you go back to some of the videos, the cats are crawling on him, they were happy, it was a great place for them and safe until this happened," said Ellen Pavlakis.
Members of the animal rescue community were devastated to learn about the fire and Arsenault's death.
"We all knew Chris for many years as all of our corporations all work together in the community, so if he needed help he would call our agency, if we needed help, we would call his agency and that's how Long Island works with the animal rescues, we all work together," said John Spat, director of Animal Protection Service. "There's not going to be another Chris, ever who does this, and all we can do is try to recover what he was trying to do and try to move forward and help his organization work forward."
Suffolk County SPCA and several other local rescue groups are assisting in rescuing the other cats.
The investigation is ongoing into the cause of the fire.
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