JAY — Family members gathered Monday afternoon, Feb. 10, to unveil a plaque honoring pets lost last September in an apartment house fire at 6 Jewell Street.

“Thanks for making it,” Nathan Caruso, the landlord, said. He shared that the pastor who had planned to take part in a dedication service had to back out due to his wife’s health issues. “Unfortunately, we won’t have the benefits of the Lord’s blessing today,” he noted.

Former tenants Nate Pascal, Red Barrett, Laurie and Josh Tarbush and their daughter Scotlyn,  and Roger Begin made their way with Caruso to the retaining wall where plastic sheeting covered the newly installed plaque.

Pascal and Scotlyn peeled away the tape holding the plastic in place to reveal the plaque. Engraved on the plaque are the words, “In the late evening hours of September 3, 2024, these beloved pets were tragically lost to the 6 Jewell Street fire”. Under a picture of a dog is the name Shadow and below one of a cat are inscribed the names of nine cats who perished: Baddy, Benny, Big Baby Chips, Camo, Casino, Gambles, Gracie, King Serl and Pollie. At the bottom are the words Isaiah 11: 6.

The names of each pet were solemnly read followed by sharing reminiscences, taking photos and helping each other through moments of grief.

Caruso said he would allow visits to the site indefinitely, even if it was sold he would try to work something out with the new owners. When asked about his plans, Caruso said he was working with Jay and the state on subdivision zoning. “It’s a slow process,” he stated.

Later Caruso said he was at his home in Texas when the fire broke out in the evening of Sept. 3. A neighbor called him to tell him about the fire, he noted. “Thankfully, no tenants were injured,” Caruso said. “One dog, nine cats and some smaller pets, too, were lost.”

According to a report in the Sun Journal at the time, “Two firefighters received minor injuries related to heat and one received an elbow injury and were treated and released at the scene.” The fire swept through a three-story, six-apartment house, displacing about 10 people, it noted.

“I just wanted to do something for the tenants after losing their pets and all their possessions,” Caruso said when asked how the idea for the plaque came about.

He plans to clean the property up in the spring and look at options for more housing. “Initially I was looking at mobile home lots but there may be some obstacles,” he noted.

Thankfully, Begin did not lose any pets, Caruso noted. “Three or four dogs made it out,” he stated. Pascal lost four cats, the Tarbush family lost their dog and two cats, and Jared Duguay [who couldn’t be there] lost three cats in the fire, he said.

“I tried to find the best time for this, but I am only here for 48 hours,” Caruso said. “I was really hoping we were going to have a small service. But, you know, things happen.”

Caruso said he could have postponed it, but he didn’t want to. “I don’t know when I’ll be back,” he added.