SUNNYSIDE, Queens (PIX11) -- More than $170,000 has been raised so far for the 450 people displaced by last week's five-alarm fire at an apartment building in Sunnyside, Queens.
Much of it has been raised through private GoFundMe pages verified by the platform.
PIX11's Eileen Lehpamer spoke with one couple who lived directly beneath the sixth-floor apartment where the fire started. Vivienne Gucwa and Chris Del Gatto called 911 before noon last Wednesday when Del Gatto says he smelled what he thought was incense. They quickly realized it was fire and ran up one flight to apartment 6M.
A contractor was illegally using a blow torch inside the apartment to try to melt lead paint off a metal door, according to the FDNY. It caught the wood frame on fire and quickly spread through the cockloft.
The couple knocked on doors and helped neighbors escape. They were recently allowed back into the apartment for 30 minutes to gather any possessions they wanted.
"It was devastating because you're having this emotional reaction while trying to go through the rubble and assess what's important or not to take in 30 minutes," Gucwa said.
Incredibly, pictures they took inside show only one thing was still standing: their Christmas tree.
"I don't think a single decoration fell off of it. I don't understand how that happened, and if you look behind it, the wall is melting with water damage," Del Gatto said.
The Red Cross helped people from the 107 units find temporary housing, and many are staying with family and friends. Gucwa and Del Gatto said there are immediate needs still, such as clothes and storage units for people to put their possessions in until they can figure out where to stay long term.
It has not been determined when residents will be allowed back inside the building at 43-09 47th Avenue.
In an email Monday night, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Buildings told PIX11 News the full vacate order remains in effect.
When asked for an estimate on when residents might be allowed to return home, a spokesman wrote: "The owner's contracted engineer is currently working on plans for a permanent replacement of the fire-damaged roof. The owner's engineer has not yet provided DOB with an estimate on when all of the work to make the building safe will be completed."
Below are links to verified GoFundMe pages for building residents, including Gucwa and Del Gatto's page.
- GoFundMe for Vivienne Gucwa and Chris Del Gatto
- Sunnyside Fire Relief Fund - organized by SCS
- GoFundMe for Jorge Ruiz
- GoFundMe for Lorena and Ellis
- GoFundMe for Luis Martinez and Nancy Hurtado
- GoFundMe for Desirae Faele's family
- GoFundMe for Tahlya Loveday
Article From:
pix11.com
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