'Unsalvageable': Fundraiser For Family Who Lost Home To Fire

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Okay family escaped without injury from an early morning fire on Jan. 12, but the losses are still being felt. Members of the community have started a GoFundMe campaign to help.

The New Rochelle family lost their home of nearly 15 years to the fast-moving fire. Although everyone inside was able to escape without serious injury, their cat Rickey was lost in the blaze. The house was left "uninhabitable and unsalvageable."

Now, the community has initiated a fundraising campaign to start the Okays on the long road to rebuilding their lives.

SEE ALSO: 3-Alarm Fire Consumes New Rochelle House Overnight

"The Okays have been longtime residents of Westchester County," fundraiser organizer Charlotte Payne wrote. "I have been fortunate enough to have grown up with the Okay brothers. Both Matthew and Daniel Okay graduated from Mamaroneck high school. Carolyn Okay has always welcomed friends and family into her home whether it be for a quick talk or a home cooked meal. Carolyn Okay has always donated and given back to her community and now it’s time to give back to her and her family."

To donate, go here.

As of Tuesday evening, the campaign has raised more than $30,000.

The three-alarm blaze on Mountain Avenue was first reported just after 1 a.m. and took nearly three hours to fully extinguish, according to witnesses. Neighbors also said that the home was "seriously damaged" in a previous fire in 2008.

Freezing temperatures made battling a stubborn house fire especially challenging for New Rochelle firefighters.

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