When the pizza restaurant at 858 State St. in New Haven went up in flames on Saturday, the fire quickly spread to the apartments up on the second floor.
A family of five escaped uninjured, but six pets were trapped inside because their owner, Michael Simonelli, wasn't home. He was at a hospital, recovering from a terrible car accident. He didn't even know that firefighters were at his home trying to rescue all his pets to bring them to an animal hospital across the street.
“The firefighters did a fantastic job in saving these pets and were just incredibly emotional as they were walking through the door,” Ken Aldrich, director of the New Haven Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine, said. “The staff reported that the guys were walking in with tears as they were walking in with the pets, because unfortunately three of the cats weren't as lucky.”
Mona, a dog, and Sammy, one of the cats, made it out. While they were being treated for smoke inhalation, the animal hospital got another unanticipated patient, a dog named Spooky.
“Spooky had hidden in the debris and was there overnight. Saturday night was a very cold night, but Spooky did phenomenal,” Aldrich said.
So far, all three animals are doing well and are in good spirits, doctors said.
“They're actually really pleasant, lovely animals, nice to handle. They're really cared for and loved and it really shows,” Dr. Kim MacDonald, who has been treating them, said.
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But the animal hospital bill will be costly, and since Simonelli is still in the hospital himself, his neighbors have decided to pitch in and help. They are raising money for the man who they said has been part of the community for years.
“I grew up in the neighborhood, so I've known him for a long time. He's a Vietnam veteran. He's a huge animal lover. He's had dogs for as long as I can imagine and he's a good guy that has just had a serious of unfortunate events happen to him,” said Lisa Siedlarz, the captain of the SoHu New Haven Neighborhood Association.
But with some help, they're hoping Simonelli and his pets will soon be back on their feet.
For more information on how you can help Simonelli and the other family that was displaced by the fire, head to the association’s website at www.sohunewhaven.org.
