What Caused The Deadly Blaze At A Cat Sanctuary In New York?

LONG ISLAND, NY — Multiple factors contributed to the rapid spread and growth of the blaze in which over 100 cats and the beloved founder of the sanctuary they lived on perished last week —including combustible materials and access points for the felines, Town Fire Marshal Christopher Mehrman said Wednesday.

The use of "multiple" propane-fueled, and electric space heaters, which were found within the area of fire origin, where the fire is believed to have started, can't be "ruled out as potential ignition sources," at Happy Cat Sanctuary in Medford, according to Mehrman.

"There were multiple factors contributed to the rapid-fire spread and growth, including a substantial amount of combustible materials within the building, as well as openings in the floors and walls, created to allow access for cats throughout the structure, facilitated the fire's progression," he said in a statement to Patch.

The cause of the fire remains undermined 10 days later, after an examination of the scene and an investigation.

There have been reports of explosions heard at the time of the fire, "some indicating those explosions were from propane tanks," according to Mehrman.

"Although there were propane tanks within the structure there was no evidence found of any propane cylinders failing in that manner," he said.

Patch has reached out to Lisa Jaeger, a member of the sanctuary's Board of Directors, for comment.

A fire broke out at the Dourland Road sanctuary at around 7:15 a.m. on March 31, and when first responders arrived a house on the property was "fully engulfed," Patch previously reported.

Suffolk police initially said that they were not able to say if the fire was caused by an explosion, but noted that investigators would speak to neighbors and review 911 calls.

Detectives from the department's Arson and Homicide squads are trying to determine the cause of the deadly blaze, but "no conclusions" were drawn.

Arson investigates serious fires, while homicide detectives investigate all unattended deaths.

The body of Christopher Arsenault, 65, was found in the rear of the house on the first floor, and it was not immediately clear if he had been outside and then tried to re-enter after the fire broke out, police said.

Jaeger has said Arsenault died trying to save the beloved animals he was charged with caring for.

"We are absolutely devastated and distraught over the loss of Chris and the sanctuary," she wrote in a post to social media.

Suffolk police investigators probing the fire could not be immediately reached.

Arsenault found his calling in animal advocacy and began the sanctuary shortly after his son died in a motorcycle crash, when he found kittens that needed to be nursed back to health.

News of the blaze has devastated supporters and the surrounding community.

Meherman said his office has received "a number of inquiries regarding the cause of the fire."

In placing his statement in context, he explained that the nationally recognized standards for origin and cause investigations allow for four classifications of fire cause, including incendiary, accidental, natural, and undetermined.

"Typically, in addition to one of the four cause classifications there will be supplementary factors that contribute to the cause determination," he said, adding that when conducting a fire origin and cause investigation, one significant goal is to determine what is known as the "Point of Origin," which is "the exact spot where the ignition source and the combustible/flammable materials come together to ignite a fire."

"In many cases, the point of origin can not be determined, many times due to the significance of the damage caused by the fire," he added.

In addition to Arsenault, around 110 cats died in the fire.

Fifty-eight were found dead the day of the fire, while another roughly 50 were found in the rubble of the house on Monday.

The Herculean rescue efforts continued on Wednesday, with trappers trying to locate at least 30 more survivors, as other caregivers tended to the roughly 178 cats at a warehouse that was donated to house them.

So far, close to $800,000 has been raised on GoFundMe to continue Arsenault's mission.