By Hank Russell
The cause of a fire that broke out in a Medford residence that doubled as a cat sanctuary — killing one person and numerous cats — has yet to be determined.
On March 31 at approximately 7:15 a.m., Suffolk County police officers from the Sixth Precinct responded to a blaze at 12 Dourland Road after multiple people called 911 to report a fire at the location, according to police reports.
According to Greater Long Island, the Gordon Heights Fire responded to the scene, but the house was already engulfed in flames by then. After the fire was extinguished, Christopher Arsenault, 65, who lived in the house, was found dead in the home. It was also reported that Arsenault may have died by running back in to save the cats.
Arsenault ran a cat sanctuary, Happy Cat Sanctuary. According to the website, the nonprofit feline shelter rescues cats that “have no place else to go”; these include those who have been rescued from hoarding situations, dog fighting rings and neglectful and abusive owners.
Happy Cat provides the animals with proper medical care, nutrition, and freedom to roam around. The website stated that more than 200 cats were at the sanctuary.
Arsenault started Happy Cat in 2006, shortly after the death of his son Eric, 24, who was killed in a motorcycle crash, according to Newsday.
While the cause of the fire wasn’t determined yet, neighbors told CBS News they heard a loud explosion, possibly from the propane tank. The outlet also reported that the Town of Brookhaven had a number of “district court actions” against the property, but the town’s fire marshal, Chris Mehrman, did not explain any further.
According to media reports, Arsenault planned to relocate the shelter to upstate New York. A GoFundMe page is set up on the Happy Cat website.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the SCPD just before press time. A spokesperson replied, “We have no additional information at this time.”