Fire disaster: Animal shelter owner (†65) dies in desperate attempt to save 300 cats!
Long Island City (New York/USA) - A well-known animal shelter owner (†65) was killed along with 100 cats in a fire in the US state of New York on Monday morning.
As reported by the New York Times , Christopher Arsenault is believed to have tragically died trying to save his beloved cats when the fire spread to his "Happy Cat" shelter.
Although the fire department was able to bring the fire under control, it was already too late for the 65-year-old and around 100 cats. The building burned to the ground.
The police have now started an investigation, and arson has not been ruled out.
According to the authorities, around 300 cats lived on the premises, some of which were able to escape the flames. Animal welfare activists were quickly on the scene to catch the surviving animals and provide them with medical care.
Was Christopher Arsenault bullied before the fire?
John Debacker, an animal rights activist from Long Island, wrote on his Facebook page that Christopher had been "harassed" for months and speculated that the fire might be related to this.
"Despite months of harassment, he continued to fight for the cats," the post read. It is not yet clear whether there is a connection between the "harassment" and the fire.