Community rallies to help fire victims
Community support growing for fire victims
COHOES, N.Y. » Less than 24 hours after a city man allegedly started a fire Thursday afternoon that destroyed more than 30 downtown buildings and displaced over 20 residents, community members and others from across the Capital Region stepped up to help those affected and continue to do so as those residents begin rebuilding their lives.
Volunteers from the Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to 23 adults and three children after the devastating fire on Remsen Street, including financial assistance for necessities such as shelter, food and clothing for over a dozen families, as well as comfort kits containing personal care items and stuffed animals for the children.
Cohoes Fire Chief Joseph Fahd said that the first blaze started just after 2 p.m. Thursday at 228 Remsen St. and eventually spread and affected over 30 downtown buildings. Authorities
said John Gomes, 51, who lives in one of the Remsen Street buildings, lit a fire in a burn barrel behind one of the buildings as he tried to imitate the History Channel series “Forged in Fire,” but strong winds picked up embers from that fire and spread them throughout the neighborhood.
Gomes was charged with a felony count of reckless endangerment, as well as a misdemeanor arson count. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday night and was freed the next day on $15,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
City officials estimated last week 10 or 12 downtown businesses were affected by the fire, including Smith’s Restaurant, Yuan Sushi, Cohoes Carpet Warehouse, Rizzo’s House of Flowers, Metro PCS and Shelley’s Cut and Style. Part of Remsen Street
had reopened by the weekend and crews brought in by city officials had already demolished the three buildings destroyed by the blaze.
By Thursday night, the Cohoes Community Center had already begun helping those affected by the fire by opening its doors for people, with the Red Cross also on scene. The next day, Executive Director Curtis Hovey said, the center began being asked about people looking for a place to drop off donations. As soon as it opened its doors for that, as well, the center was inundated with clothing, food, soap, dish detergent and numerous other items.
“We [received] phone calls and Facebook messages [the night of the fire] actually,” said Hovey on Monday morning. “Going into Friday, it was crazy. We had every person coming in and calling to see what was going on. … This is people really caring and going out of their way to really help beef up what the families need, but right now, we’re just trying to collect the essentials and make sure that they had some food, canned goods, toiletries, cleaning products.”
Hovey said that the center does not have a list of specific items it is seeking, but since they have received so many donations already, Hovey asked people to call the center at 518-237-7523 before dropping anything else off. Hovey said center staff will sort through the donations at the end of the week.
Meanwhile, Mayor Shawn Morse announced last week a partnership with several community banks that are collecting monetary donations at branches in the city to support relief efforts. Pioneer Bank, Capital Communications Federal Credit Union and Key Bank are also providing donations of their own.
“We are committed to supporting the city of Co- hoes and the recent victims of the fire through this difficult time,” said Pioneer Bank President and CEO Tom Amell in a news release. “Pioneer is providing $1,000 to support those affected. If you are able, I would like to encourage you to please make a donation. All of our branches will be accepting donations, and we anticipate the community will pull together to show their support.”
Pioneer Bank opened their 22nd location earlier this year, at 100 Mohawk St. in Cohoes.
“Our hearts go out to the many victims of this overwhelming fire,” said Paula Stopera, president and CEO of CAPCOM, in a news release. “Over our nine years in this tightly knit community, we have gotten to know many friends and neighbors. Cohoes is a very special place. Our commitment to help support those in need is unwavering.”
Donations can be made at any CAPCOMbranch, or sent by U. S. mail to the Cohoes Fire Victim Fund, c/o CAPCOM, 4 Winners Circle, Albany NY 12205.
KeyBank announced Monday it made a $5,000 donation to support American Red Cross Home Fire Relief and will match donations from the public up to an additional $5,000.
“KeyBank has been part of the Cohoes community for many years, and we are deeply saddened by the losses caused by last week’s fire,” said KeyBank Capital Region President Ruth Mahoney in a news release. “We thank the Red Cross for partnering with us to help us identify how we can support their efforts in the most meaningful way. Through our match, people can double the impact of their donation and ensure that victims of the fire have their most immediate needs met.”
“Our hearts go out to every resident impacted by last week’s fire in Cohoes, and we remain available to assist those in need of immediate emergency assistance” added Gary Striar, CEO of the American Red Cross Eastern New York Region. “Fires affect families in our region on a daily basis, and we appreciate the generous donors who enable us to provide critical relief after fires big and small. We are extremely grateful to KeyBank for supporting our response in Cohoes and the hundreds of other home fires we respond to annually.”
U- Haul Company of Eastern New York is offering help, as well, providing 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage to families displaced by the fire. Awards by Walsh will be raising funds by donating Cohoes Strong T-shirts to be sold at a fundraiser hosted by Cohoes Bowling Arena at 3 p.m. both Saturday, Dec. 16 and Sunday, Dec. 17. Each person donating $20 will receive two games of bowling and a Cohoes Strong T-shirt.
In the spirit of the holiday season, local radio station WAIX, 106.1 FM ( The X) will host a benefit concert for fire victims from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23 at Trickshot Billiards and Wicked Pub and Eatery on Route 9 in Clifton Park. Performers will include Cohoes native Johnny Morse, area favorites The Otherside performing the music of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Acoustic Trauma. There will be “Selfies with Santa”, along with raffles and food, and is also sponsored by Scattered Beams by Paco, Parkway Music and Death Wish Coffee. The suggested minimum donation is $5.
Morse said seeing the support for the community has been uplifting and believes it truly shows what “Cohoes Proud’” means to everyone in the city.
“We’re Cohoes Proud, and this is what Cohoes Proud is,” said Morse from his office Monday morning. “Cohoes Proud wasn’t just a sign we put on the wall; it was me recognizing the way people live in the city and how they care about each other and how they always want to help each other and how we can be the best we can be. I’m proud to be the mayor of this city.”