Happy Cat Sanctuary fire: No evidence of a suspicious cause, fire marshal says

The Brookhaven Town fire marshal Thursday ruled out a suspicious cause for the Medford house fire that killed more than 100 cats and the man who had dedicated his life to saving them.

The cause of the fire early Monday at the Dourland Road residence — also home to the Happy Cat Sanctuary — is officially considered to be undetermined, said Brookhaven Chief Fire Marshal Christopher Mehrman, adding that investigators from his office and the Suffolk County police arson unit are looking at other potential factors.

"We can’t rule out the use of propane space heaters in the house," Mehrman said.

Christopher Arsenault, 65, who founded the sanctuary, died in the fire, as did 100 cats. Rescuers said he ran back into the home to pull cats from the fire and never returned.

Services for Arsenault are still pending.

Also Thursday, rescue groups who have spent this week at the scene of the fire attempting to round up about 200 cats roaming in and around the property said they will ramp up efforts with more volunteers Friday. There are about 150 cats still on the property, rescuers said, while up to 50 escaped into the surrounding neighborhood. Volunteers will take the rescued cats to a Holbrook pet supply warehouse where they will be screened by veterinarians.

Lisa Jaeger, who runs the nonprofit Jaeger's Run Animal Rescue, said about 30 cats since Monday have been treated for burns or other illnesses. One of the cats had to be euthanized.

The SPCA will deploy its Mobile Animal Spay-Neuter Hospital, which has 28 cages, a sterilization area and a surgical operating room. It will be stationed at the Holbrook warehouse, where the rescued cats will be screened by veterinarians.

"It’s a mobile unit for veterinarians to be able to provide emergency care on site," SPCA Peace Officer Michael Cusumano told Newsday aboard the bus Thursday. "It allows veterinarians to service the animals on an emergency basis and determine what type of care they're going to need. It's a good triage unit."

A GoFundMe account had raised more than $600,000 for the sanctuary and to care for the animals as of Thursday.

The cats will have to be sedated to be vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered and they will receive blood work, Jaeger said, adding that the rescue operation is expected to last about two weeks.

Various rescue organizations are planning to take the cats once they have been medically cleared, to either prepare them for adoption or rescue facilities. Most of the cats are feral and may not be available for adoption for several weeks.

The SPCA’s mobile unit is expected to be in place by the weekend in its first deployment in several years. The nonprofit has previously used the unit at disaster sites, including after Superstorm Sandy, and to treat rescue dogs at Ground Zero following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"That’s going to be a miracle because otherwise each cat would have to go to a veterinary clinic," Jaeger said. "To have the veterinary clinic on-site is so much less stressful for the cats and the people doing the rescue."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.