BERNE — Two Berne residents are receiving financial help from the Red Cross after a fire in the garage of their Smith Lane home claimed the lives of a cat and several chickens, and left their house with smoke and water damage, Red Cross spokeswoman Mary Alice Molgard told The Enterprise this week. 

Molgard, who is also a member of the Berne Fire Department, said the Dec. 15 fire was likely caused when a heat-lamp connected to a wire pen for the chickens shorted out. She said she didn’t know exactly how many chickens were there or if any managed to survive. The cat that died was one of four that were rescued, she said. 

Only one resident was home at the time, being the one who called the fire in, Molgard said, adding that it took the Berne Fire Department — which had “assistance from Onesquethaw and Knox, with Gallupville on standby in Berne’s quarters” — two hours to handle the main fire and perform overhaul. 

Molgard said the garage was not destroyed in the fire, and that there was “a lot” of smoke damage in the house, and “some” water damage in the basement. 

She said that financial assistance from the Red Cross is typically used for “replacing clothing, food, and household goods.”