{"id":2420474,"date":"2025-04-06T16:43:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T20:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sanctuary-founder-and-100-rescued-animals-die-in-suspicious-fire-investigation-underway\/"},"modified":"2025-04-06T16:45:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T20:45:01","slug":"sanctuary-founder-and-100-rescued-animals-die-in-suspicious-fire-investigation-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sanctuary-founder-and-100-rescued-animals-die-in-suspicious-fire-investigation-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanctuary Founder and 100 Rescued Animals Die in Suspicious Fire, Investigation Underway"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsanctuary-founder-and-100-rescued-animals-die-in-suspicious-fire-investigation-underway%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2420474&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A devastating fire occurred at the Happy Cat Sanctuary in Long Island, New York, claiming the life of its founder, 65-year-old Christopher Arsenault, and over 100 cats. Arsenault, who had dedicated his life to rescuing animals, died while attempting to save the cats. Despite his efforts, he was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-woman-accused-of-killing-mother-on-2015-bali-vacation-pleads-guilty-in-u-s\/\" title=\"US woman guilty of killing mother on 2015 Bali trip.\">found deceased inside<\/a> the burning building, while at least 150 cats survived, some <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">requiring medical treatment<\/a> for smoke inhalation and burn injuries. The local animal shelter community is rallying to support the surviving cats, with the Strong Island Animal Rescue League taking charge of their care. The cause of the fire is under investigation, with potential links to arson raised due to prior harassment of Arsenault on social media. A GoFundMe page has been established to help with the operational costs of rescuing and rehabilitating the surviving cats. Arsenault opened the sanctuary in 2006 after a personal tragedy, and his commitment to animal welfare has left a important impact on the community.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A New York animal shelter founder and at least 100 cats were killed in a fire on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Christopher Arsenault, 65, died trying to rescue the felines from his Long Island home, which functioned as the nonprofit Happy Cat Sanctuary, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cat-sanctuary-fire-4d78ca0879194be4c5146101e9f2ac8a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He came out and tried to put the fire out, and he went back in and he kept taking cats out until he went back in and he didn&rsquo;t come out,&rdquo; a choked-up Lisa Jaeger said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JaegerTeam\/posts\/pfbid02GnwKrozcWZVYcyD1Cjqo6b2gpF7C6CTqddGcH7hu3NfMjyPDJLKLErbGwHKX2QUrl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video post<\/a>. Jaeger is the founder of the nonprofit Jaeger&rsquo;s Run Animal Rescue in Port Jefferson, New York.<\/p>\n<p>At least 150 cats survived, some of which were treated for burns and smoke inhalation at nearby animal hospitals, according to the AP.<\/p>\n<p>Others were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-orphaned-squirrel-became-social-media-star-euthanized-seized-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">euthanized<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are securing the area right now to try to save as many cats as we can,&rdquo; Jaeger said on Monday. &ldquo;We lost the best man on the face of the planet and we&rsquo;re just going to need everyone&rsquo;s support now to continue his dream,&rdquo; she added, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/04\/01\/cat-sanctuary-fire-new-york\/82753487007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Suffolk County police are still investigating the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dei-cripple-la-fire-departments-response-wildfires-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fire department<\/a> responded to the blaze, which occurred in the hamlet of Medford, New York, around 7:15 a.m. on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Once the fire was extinguished, Arsenault was found dead near the back of the house.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The whole place is burned down and there&rsquo;s cats right there on the debris,&rdquo; Roy Gross, head of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in response to the incident.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is going to be an ongoing situation to get all of these cats cared for and placed in a proper facility,&rdquo; Gross said. &ldquo;Just a major undertaking after a tragic situation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Happy Cat Sanctuary in Medford, NY burned down this morning. The owner, Chris, a lovely, compassionate man by all accounts (I did not know him personally), had been harassed relentlessly on Facebook, so they&rsquo;re going to have to investigate for arson. He has died in the fire,&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fh7yUndzpD\">pic.twitter.com\/fh7yUndzpD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NellENel (@NellENel) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NellENel\/status\/1906759172529484107?\">March 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Arsenault opened the cat shelter in 2006 after losing his son in a motorcycle accident, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycatsanctuary.com\/about_us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Happy Cat Sanctuary<\/a> website.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;After this devastating loss, Chris accidentally came across a cat colony of 30 sick kittens. He removed the kittens from the colony and nursed them back to health. It was at that point that Chris knew saving cats was his calling, and he opened Happy Cat Sanctuary,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-texas-med-school-read-robin-diangelo-ta-nehisi-coates-1619-project-to-become-anti-racist\/\" title=\"University Of Texas Med School: ... Robin DiAngelo, Ta-Nehisi Coates, 1619 Project To Become \u2018Anti-Racist\u2019\">website read<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Arsenault was in the process of relocating the shelter to a farm in upstate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-ditches-democratic-party-re-election-effort\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York<\/a>, where he planned to move, according to the AP.<\/p>\n<p>As for the surviving cats, the Strong Island Animal Rescue League is caring for them now, according to Jaeger, who has since started a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-happy-cat-sanctuary-after-tragic-fire?lang=en_US&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawJbosdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHY2NsbfjwxXgb66R4YFlovjkle5HAsXinghNcDXFvTwn2rEhRgfQCbnoxA_aem_HdcNNfCmquAAbv9QCs6CYw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GoFundMe<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have over 200 cats that are still being secured and will need vetting, vaccinating, and rescues to step up and help us secure them. Please donate anything you can. We are absolutely devastated and distraught over the loss of Chris and the sanctuary,&rdquo; the page read.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fire on Monday claimed the life of Christopher Arsenault, 65, the founder of a New York animal shelter, along with over 100 cats. Arsenault was attempting to save the cats from his Long Island residence, which served as the Happy Cat Sanctuary. According to the Associated Press, he repeatedly went back inside to rescue them until he ultimately did not return. Lisa Jaeger, founder of Jaeger\u2019s Run Animal Rescue in Port Jefferson, expressed her grief in a video post about his heroic efforts. At least 150 cats survived; some received treatment for burns and smoke inhalation at local veterinary hospitals while others were euthanized. Jaeger stated they are working to secure more cats and emphasized that they need community support following this tragedy. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by Suffolk County police. Firefighters responded around 7:15 a.m., and after extinguishing the flames found Arsenault deceased near the rear of his home. Roy Gross from the Suffolk County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals noted that caring for all surviving cats will be a significant challenge following this heartbreaking event. Arsenault had established Happy Cat Sanctuary in 2006 after losing his son in an accident and had recently been planning to relocate it to a farm upstate New York. The Strong Island Animal Rescue League is currently looking after the surviving felines as efforts continue through a GoFundMe page initiated by Jaeger for their care and rehabilitation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2420475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Arsenault.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8225,3655,3976,12202],"class_list":["post-2420474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-animals","tag-fire","tag-investigation","tag-sanctuary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Arsenault.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2420474"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2420478,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420474\/revisions\/2420478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2420475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2420474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2420474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2420474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}