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Community comes together after 60 farm animals were lost in Prospect fire

Cronin put the farm animals inside the barn, gave them extra food, and closed the door to try and keep them safe, but before she knew it her backyard was in flames.

PROSPECT, Conn. — On Friday at around 11:30 p.m., a barn fire on Spring Road in Prospect took the lives of 60 farm animals. Those animals were the heart and soul of an organization called Kelly's Kids, Inc., run by Kelly Cronin.

 "These animals have impacted a lot of people," Cronin said. 

The organization started out with Farm on Wheels, bringing the animals to parties, schools, summer camps, therapeutic programs, and more. Then, they created Kelly's Kids, where people from all walks of life visit and work on the farm, teaching them responsibility and purpose. Many of the people who visit are foster children since Cronin used to work for youth services in Waterbury and has a special place in her heart for children in foster care. They also connect with seniors in convalescent homes and people of all abilities.

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"It just makes me feel so good because I get to help her and like, and all the other kids feel normal. Like, it's not like about, you don't get judged here," said Lexi Charbonneau, who has been visiting and working on the farm for years. 

On Friday, when the temperatures dropped below zero, Cronin put the farm animals inside the barn, gave them extra food, and closed the door to try and keep them safe. 

"I said if I don't put them in and close the door, they're probably going to freeze to death," Cronin said. 

Before she knew it, she was looking in her backyard at flames that were touching the sky, taking her animals and the barn with them. She still has a little under two dozen animals at the property across the street, where the hub for Kelly's Kids is. But she lost most of her livelihood. Now the community is stepping up and people have been stopping by her house, offering to help.

"It means a lot, yeah it does, I mean the world is nuts at this point. I think everybody says the same thing and there are good people left, you know? There really are," Cronin said. 

 After the fire, someone close to Cronin started a GoFundMe page, trying to get her business back up and running.

"Most of us will always be okay like we figure it out, we're resilient. But Kelly makes the road a lot easier," said Ashley Kiefer, who started the GoFundMe, already raising nearly $100,000.

Kiefer said Cronin turned her life around. She met Cronin when she still worked for youth services in Waterbury. She credits Cronin with introducing her to her now adoptive mother and helping her find a bright future. 

"My mindset was, if every person who she's ever touched in a positive way donates, she'll be able to build ten farms like she'll be able to keep doing her work," Kiefer said. 

 Since the fire, Cronin has been hearing from many people who say her business changed their lives for the better. 

"The business that we do, you don't know, ever, if you've impacted people. Sometimes, you'll never know. But when things like that happen and you know that. You do," Cronin said.

Cronin said she's been hearing from people who want to help her rebuild, including Lowe's and someone who owns a lumber company. She said she's not sure when they'll get back to where they were, but she's taking it day by day.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. To donate click here

Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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