Lifelong Lindenhurst Resident Rebuilding After Devastating Fire

LINDENHURST, NY - The Lindenhurst community is coming together to help a lifelong local resident who lost everything in a devastating house fire on Monday. The blaze was reported at the Texas Street home at 11 a.m. The home belongs to Gina Catania-Leto, who has lived in Lindenhurst for 49 years. She lives with her three children and two grandkids. While Catania-Leto was at work at the time of the fire, there were four people in the home during the blaze who all made it out with no injuries.

"This could have been such a worse tragedy," she told Patch.

While the fire marshal is still investigating the cause, the fire was believed to have been a result of a boiler issue. Catania-Leto says the boiler has been completely destroyed as well as the kitchen, bathroom and some other parts of the home. Much of the house was also damaged by the smoke. The family lost everything including clothes, pictures and more.

"We don't have anything, I just can't believe it," Catania-Leto said tearfully.

While she has homeowners insurance, it's through her mortgage company so they don't really cover much, according to Catania-Leto.

"They cover the structure of the home but they don't cover the contents," she said.

She is hoping to purchase a trailer as a temporary home, but it is not covered by her insurance so she would have to buy it out of pocket. In the meantime, the family is living at her boyfriend's house in Copiague while they work to try to rebuild the home. The house was lived in by Catania-Leto's father after he moved to Lindenhurst from Italy in 1953. She eventually purchased the home in 2000.

"I'm not sure what we're going to do next I have a large family so we're just trying to figure it all out," she said. "It's the only home that my grandson and my kids know."

Following the tragic fire, Catania-Leto's niece Kayla Morea started a campaign on GoFundMe to raise money for the family.

"If you know the Catania’s/Leto’s you know that they are the most loving, giving family you will ever know, and would do anything for anybody," Morea wrote on the page. "Right now they really need us."

The goal is to raise a total of $20,000 to help the family. As of Tuesday, $2,660 has been raised. Since Catania-Leto still has to pay the mortgage even while they rebuild, the money will go towards things inside the home that were destroyed that is not covered by insurance.

"I want to thank everybody, I just can't believe people even care enough about us to even donate," Catania-Leto said. "I'm the girl that helps everybody. I will do anything for anybody but just to see that people care about us enough to help is just amazing. I am just overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness and the caring of my people."

Catania-Leto says she has received support from the community.

"It's just been an outpouring of strangers or just people that I say 'hello' to on the streets that have done so much for me," she said. "I just can't believe it."

To learn more or to donate, visit the GoFundMe page here.

All photos: GoFundMe/Family Home Of 20+ Years Destroyed In Fire

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.