Green Island fire disrupting lives of multiple families
We’re learning more about the scope of a Fourth of July fire that left lasting damage to four homes on Paine Street in Green Island.
Officials said the fire was accidental, sparked from smoking materials found in the trash.
NewsChannel 13 spoke to the Hildreth family in the immediate aftermath. An older woman from the family is on the road to recovery at a burn unit in Syracuse. The fire destroyed her family’s home.
The scope of the fire is large. It’s disrupting the lives of around six families.
The GoFundMe for the Hildreth family has now raised more than $14,000.
Another has been set up for the other families.
“It was a scary, scary night,” said Casey Burr, who owns the home next door. “Everything is soaked on the first floor with soot water and melted walls.”
Burr’s 70-year-old father, Leonard Burr, grew up in Troy, and Burr said the family was a staple of the Troy community. He now relies on oxygen. Casey Burr’s brother lived with him at the home.
Burr rented the upstairs to a young family who was not home at the time.
“Having three kids and then, they’re young, you know? They’ve tried to piece their life together, and it’s hard for, sorry,” she said, growing emotional. “To have them worry about having to piece their life together.”
Backyard Fourth of July fireworks made the noises of a real fire all the more confusing for Burr’s father to recognize as he settled in for bed.
“He heard something hit the back of the house,” she said, explaining that her father now believes it was debris from the fire. “About half an hour later, he felt heat from behind his head.”
Thankfully, he realized what was happening and got out.
“Once he woke up my brother he had to, you know, my brother had to collect the medicine, collect the cat, get the oxygen machine because if the house is on fire, they’re going to need that,” Burr said.
It could be a year or two before the house is livable again, she said.
There have been two GoFundMe accounts set up for fire victims.