HOULTON, Maine — Fire officials say they will never know what sparked an early morning blaze March 12 that leveled the Ark Animal Sanctuary on 91 Old Woodstock Road, killing 16 cats.
The small, one-story building was only open for about four months and marked the culmination of four years of hard work and dedication by numerous volunteers. The building served as a home for felines, many of which were able to lounge freely, and included a medical-quarantine area, kitchen and loft.
The Houlton Fire Department was notified of the blaze at 3:17 a.m. when a U.S. Border Patrol agent spotted smoke coming from the area. By the time firefighters arrived, however, the building was fully engulfed in flames and the roof had already collapsed.
Additionally, the electrical line to the dwelling had severed, making it too dangerous for firefighters to approach the building, according to Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone. Because of the extensive damage, Cone said determining an ignition source was unlikely.
“The roof collapsed in the center of the building first, which is where the pellet stove was,” Cone said. “Because the building was totally destroyed there wasn’t much left for evidence. Electricity could have been an ignition source as well.”
Twenty-three firefighters responded to the call. The department cleared the scene at 5 a.m.
News of the loss spread quickly through the community via social networking sites and telephone calls. Since the fire, Ark visionary Lorraine Monfils said the outpouring of support has been overwhelming.
“The support is incredible,” she said. “We have heard from people as far away as Arkansas, who have offered to help. We have been contacted by people with grant money, and just this morning alone, we received 38 donations by Paypal through our website.”
Monfils was the last person in the building, at roughly 6 p.m. the night before, administering medication to cats, according to the fire chief.
Monfils said Thursday morning that it was too soon to say what the next course of action would be. The building was insured.
“We haven’t made any firm decisions yet,” she said. “Right now, we are still trying to process the whole thing. The volunteers, along with myself and my husband (Bob), are just devastated right now. We want to continue to do our work of helping animals. We can build the sanctuary over again, but we can’t bring back the 16 lives that were lost.”
At the Hollywood Pet Salon, located on Main Street in downtown Houlton, a shrine of balloons with each cat’s name, flowers and photos of each animal can be found in the storefront’s window.
The Ark has many other cats that are presently in foster care, Monfils said. Those animals will remain with their foster families for the foreseeable future.
The Ark only recently celebrated the building’s grand opening with an open house ceremony Nov. 2. The group was originally searching for an old farmhouse to become its home, but when a 40-acre parcel of land on Old Woodstock Road was offered, steps were taken to acquire the property. That acquisition took place in April 2010 and plans were soon put into action to obtain a building to be placed on the land. Ruth and Sonny Golding of Smyrna Mills donated a small house to the Ark after reading a newspaper article that the group was in need of a building.
The refuge was viewed as the first step in building a community area, complete with dog walking trails and a dog park where animals could roam without a leash.
A bake sale and silent auction was held this past Saturday at Town & Country Clothing and Footwear. A community member also donated a trip to Cancun, including hotel and airfare. That trip will be raffled off to benefit the Ark.
“It’s heartwarming and emotional,” Monfils said. “I never dreamt we had the kind of support that we do. It’s just amazing.”
Donations of cat litter, food and other items for cat care are also needed to help the shelter restart. While the group can always use cleaning supplies (bleach/detergent), and needs cat litter and food, the Ark does not need blankets or other bulky items at this time as there is no place to store them.
A donation box is located at the Hollywood Pet Salon and Paypal donations may also be made at The Ark’s website, www.arksanctuary.com.
