FIRE AT THE MONMOUTH COUNTY SPCA UPDATE

Galaxy is comforted by an ASPCA employee.

Eatontown –  At approximately 12:45pm on Wednesday, October 23rd a fire ignited in the “Second Chance Hallway” portion of the Monmouth County SPCA, where some of the most vulnerable, young, and ill animals are housed. As best the shelter can surmise, an item not supposed to be placed in the dryers – a rubber-backed bathmat, caught fire.

Minutes after the fire broke out, the smoke alarms went off and all staff was instructed to leave the building immediately. Those who were working directly with an animal took that animal outside with them. MCSPCA staff members Shannon Hood, Rachel Horowitz, and Gianna Matto rushed to grab fire extinguishers as flames were shooting out of the dryer. Two full canisters were emptied to subdue the flames, but it still wasn’t enough.  Isabelle Ricardo, a Vogel Veterinary Care Center Technician was unpacking boxes when she was alerted of the fire, she shared later, “I didn’t think it was serious at first but when I realized it was, all I could think about was our animals.” Isabelle ran into the clinic to grab a dog and ran outside with him. One of the veterinarians threw her car keys to Isabelle and told her to put the dog in her car. The sentiment of only thinking about the animals is the epitome of the selflessness shared by all staff and volunteers at the MCSPCA.

Inside Building Video

Years of experience as first responders kicked in for Executive Director Ross Licitra and General Manager of Facilities and Animal Control Scott Crawford as they entered the building to find that the fire had reignited. Crawford extinguished the fire while Licitra opened a far door to create a vacuum to try and clear the dangerously thick smoke that was building outside the rooms housing panicked animals. Unfortunately, it continued to build and at one point, security cameras showed the hall so filled with smoke that visibility was near zero. At that time, both men moved quickly to secure animals waiting to be evacuated. Licitra reports that he and Crawford tied wet cloths around their faces and proceeded to wet down towels to wedge underneath all of the doors in the “Second Chance Hallway,” which turned out to be a life-saving effort.

Dr. Jocelyn Eckroth was performing a complicated eye (removal) surgery on a senior shelter dog when the fire broke out, moving and finishing the operation to another, safe location.

As staff was being told to evacuate the building, Dr. Jocelyn Eckroth was performing a complicated eye enucleation (removal) surgery on a senior shelter dog named Pappy. When directed to leave the building, her team gathered up as many supplies as they could and raced across the parking lot to set up a makeshift surgical suite in the shelter’s thrift store. Dr. Eckroth secured her patient and ran him across the street, finishing up the surgery with her team amid vintage clothing and household items. The shelter is thrilled to report that Pappy is making a wonderful recovery.

Meanwhile Medical Director Samantha Mammen swiftly gathered up medical supplies she thought she may need to treat animals as she was getting her staff out of the building. She had each team member leave the clinic with both client-owned and shelter patients recovering from surgery – some of them wrapped in pillowcases due to the lack of carriers. The staff, volunteers, and animals waited patiently in a wooded area of the campus where they were safely removed from danger. Staff lovingly cared for the shelter pets with treats, water, and a lot of affection, while volunteers held and comforted client-owned animals until their owners could arrive for them.

When Eatontown and Wanamassa firefighters arrived minutes later to extinguish the fire a third time, they found a distinct difference in the lack of smoke in rooms where the towels had been placed compared to what was in the hallway. None of the animals in these areas suffered any injuries from smoke inhalation except for one adult stray cat, who was in active liver failure and had ringworm – emergency medical treatment was given on scene but sadly the cat didn’t make it. Both Crawford and Licitra were later treated for smoke inhalation. Eatontown fire gave the all-clear to return to the building and hours and hours of cleanup by tireless staff began.

MCSPCA leadership is extremely proud of the staff and volunteers present. While obviously everyone works at the MCSPCA because they are passionate about animals, all followed protocol and remained outside the building while leadership secured the animals inside of the building. The staff readied makeshift cages, pens and carriers and water, blankets and medical supplies, and the moment the Fire Chief gave the all-clear, all 220+ animals were evacuated from the building within minutes. Fortunately, fire was contained within the dryer itself, with thick smoke being the largest danger and cause of damage.

The public’s outpouring of support has been overwhelming, humbling, and heartwarming. The MCSPCA is incredibly grateful to have such a compassionate community of animal lovers who believe in their mission just as much as they do.

Moved to safety animals were comforted by employees.

Animals were moved to a safe room.