 Hoarding over 100 animals, dozens die in fire
Cochecton, NY (US)Date: May 23, 2006
County: Sullivan
Local Map: available
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Gloria Smith
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A fire ripped through the home of an animal collector on May 23 and killed about four dozen dogs and cats locked in cages. Animals could be heard wailing as they suffocated inside the house.
"Dogs were screaming," said a neighbor who didn't want her name used. She spotted smoke billowing from the windows about 4:20 p.m. and called 911. "There was nothing I could do."
Several fire agencies rushed to the home on 107 Pine Wood Road, which is owned by Gloria Smith. Smith has had frequent run-ins with neighbors and the Town of Cochecton over the estimated 200 dogs and cats that she had been keeping inside and outside her two-story home. She is suing the town and some of neighbors who have complained about the animals, officials say.
As the house still smoldered, firefighters discovered that there were more than 80 cats in the basement. The cats and a few pigeons were locked in small cages and makeshift enclosures made of chicken wire. All those cats were saved and will survive.
Kauneonga Lake firefighter Frank Dicostanza was the first to kick in the door to the home.
"I expected to find them all dead," he said. "With all the heat and smoke, I didn't think anything could survive, but I kicked in the door, and I saw all these little eyes looking at me."
The fire gutted the main floor. Firefighters broke through the roof and spent the next hour hauling out the cats, stacking cages on the muddy flat ground behind the home. Up to 60 dogs confined in outdoor runs barked at firefighters.
The town passed a kennel law in 2002, in part to stop Smith and a now-defunct animal collector, the Lazarian Society, which was next door to Smith. Under an agreement with the town, Smith has until May 2007 to reduce the number of dogs on her property to 39, Cochecton Supervisor Sal Indelicato said.
Smith, 63, wasn't at home during the fire, but showed up as firefighters were putting out the blaze. When she was asked how many animals she had in the house, she said, "Why? Why?" She walked away and started stacking cages into a small mobile home at the back of the house.
The SPCA and the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office were still counting the dead animals last night. The number could be higher than 50, Lake Huntington fire Chief Jason Kraack said. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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