Authorities say a fire burned down a Long Island cat shelter, killing its founder, who lived there, and more than 100 of the felines he rescued.

In the quiet hamlet of Medford, Long Island, a catastrophe sent shockwaves through the animal welfare community as Happy Cat Sanctuary, a refuge for hundreds of stray and abandoned felines, was reduced to smouldering ruins when a fire tore through its walls.

A fire at a cat sanctuary on Long Island in New York killed the sanctuary’s owner and at least 100 cats Monday morning.