By Marlene Naanes And Michelle Lee
The Herald News
WAYNE, N.J. — After 60 cats perished in a house fire on Monday night, investigators began assessing conditions in the house and its use for animal rescue work.
The blaze at 14 Piermont Terrace heavily damaged the home and made it uninhabitable for owner Janet Bakonyi, according to township officials.
Bakonyi was not home when the fire broke out, apparently from an electrical source, but police and a neighbor said she arrived soon afterward and began frantic efforts that saved four cats.
The neighbor, Matt Hanrahan, said he was driving home from the grocery store about 8:45 p.m., saw smoke coming from the residence and called 911. Bakonyi arrived about the same time. Hanrahan said he stood outside the front door for about 10 minutes while Bakonyi threw the cats at him before they had to pull back because of the smoke.
“She kept on saying, ‘My babies, my babies.’ I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ I tried to get the door in, but there was too much crap in there,” Hanrahan said on Tuesday. “I couldn’t see anything in there. It was black, it was smoke. We were just feeling.”
Three fire companies fought the fire and put it out about 10:20 p.m. Animal control officers, who reported finding many cages in the house, initially removed about 46 dead cats from the home, police said.
Scott Kooreman, a township fire inspector, said he and an animal control officer returned to the house on Tuesday morning and removed more dead cats, for a total of 60. He added that they spent an hour listening for cats and left out some food in case any survived and were hiding inside.
A township ordinance says that no person, family, firm or corporation shall keep more than five licensed pets “in any one place” within Wayne except by official provision. The township clerk’s office said Bakonyi did not have a shelter license, and information was not immediately available on whether the cats had been licensed. A township animal control officer declined to answer questions.
Bakonyi was staying with a friend in the neighborhood, police said. She arrived at the house early Tuesday afternoon but would not speak with reporters.
Jessica Gotthold, the founder of The National Foundation for Animal Rescue, said Bakonyi did a lot of animal rescue work and cat spaying and neutering independently, and for several animal organizations. Gotthold said Bakonyi has been an acquaintance for four years. They had met while holding adoption events at a Petco in Ramsey.
Gotthold said Bakonyi dedicated her life to fostering cats and preparing them for adoption. “I always thought she was a responsible, professional person in animal rescue,” Gotthold said. She added that the general public should know animal rescue work is “a lot to take on.”
Neighbors Sana Zayed and her daughter, Areeg Alabdalrazzag, 16, watched the fire from their house next door and said they felt sorry for Bakonyi. Zayed said Bakonyi kept to herself, but they would say hello from time to time and they saw the cats in the window all the time. “We feel bad for the cats, so sad,” Zayed said.
Michael Johnson, who lived on the other side of the house, said Bakonyi did animal rescue work and she kept the cats in cages. “It wasn’t like they were running wild. ... She was just a concerned person trying to find them homes,” he said.
The four surviving animals — all female — were taken to veterinarian Michael Morris in Riverdale.
“When they came in, they were all pretty cold, dehydrated and smelled like smoke, but they warmed up pretty fast,” Morris said.
But Morris was concerned the cats could have suffered from smoke inhalation, pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs, and he said he would know more about their condition today.
Bakonyi told investigators she had left an hour before she returned to find her home on fire. Investigators believe a faulty light fixture in the back of the home may have started the fire, said Kooreman and township police Capt. James Clarke.
On Tuesday morning, a heavy odor of smoke lingered and wood boards covered the house’s windows. An orange warning sign about the house’s unsafe condition was placed in the door and cages and furniture had been removed and placed on the snow-covered yard.
Joe Albanese, the township construction official, said the bi-level house was unsafe and it had a lot of structural damage — the wooden floor was gone and the wooden frame was compromised.
Electricity and water service was cut to the house. Albanese said the building has been turned over to the homeowner’s insurance company to estimate damages.
Kooreman, the fire inspector, said Bakonyi had lived in the house for about 40 years and was dedicated to her work with felines.
“The animals were her life, it was her family,” Kooreman said. “She’s very distraught.”
Staff Writer Kamana Shrestha contributed to this article.
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