House Fire Victim: 'Terrible Experience' Losing Many Mementos

NORTH BELLMORE, NY — A sudden and swift fire caused serious damage to the Napiers' home on Herkimer Street in North Bellmore.

Sean Napier's mother was the only person in the home at the time. She got overwhelmed and was taken to the hospital on Saturday night. She was released a short time later. No one else was injured.

But for Napier, 23, there was plenty of loss as he is no longer able to occupy the house.

It was his childhood home, where he lived since he was four years old, filled with many memories.

"Once the fire department deemed it safe enough to walk through, we actually went through it that night," Napier told Patch. "We tried to get out whatever we could that was somewhat salvageable."

However, the fire left most items in ash.

"That was tough because really the only things left were like half a picture. Most of the stuff is gone," he said. "Walking through that rubble was just a terrible experience."

He was told that the cause is being investigated, but the initial hypothesis by the fire department is a lit candle may have gotten caught on a curtain.

Napier shared the home with his mother and brother. They all are forced to find other places to live, while they decide about the future.

"Making you have everybody there at the end of it all, is priority A," Napier said. "Once you check that box and realize you have nothing else but each other, it does kind of sink in."

Napier is now living with his girlfriend and her family in Huntington. His mother is staying with her mom.

The devastation is too fresh for Napier to know what to do next.

"It feels like purgatory. It feels like everything was just taken and I'm waiting to see what I can do about it, if anything at all," Napier said. "Me, my mom and my brother, we're all in the same boat," he said. "We're trying to figure it out as we go."