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.

The fire at a Long Island animal sanctuary that killed its owner and at least 100 cats has been deemed not suspicious, authorities said. Arson is not suspected as the cause of the tragic blaze

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.