Days Before Christmas, LI Woman Loses Everything In Devastating Fire

WADING RIVER, N Y— A Calverton woman was left with just the clothes on her back and her car after a fire Saturday morning, just days before Christmas, ravaged her mobile home and took the lives of her beloved cats.

According to Riverhead Town Police, the fire broke out at the Ramblewood Mobile Home Community, located on Sound Avenue in Calverton.

A GoFundMe, "Katie Needs A New Home For Christmas" has been created to help.

Mark Donnelly, second assistant chef at the Wading River Fire Department, said the call came in at 10:51 a.m.; Wading River Fire District paramedics were at the scene two minutes later and found the trailer "fully involved" in fire, he said.

"Unfortunately, there were multiple cats that perished in the fire," Donnelly said.

Katie Polk, who lived in the home, was out at the time of the fire — a giving woman who dedicates her life to helping others, she was delivering clothes to a woman recently released from jail after 17 years who is homeless. Left with nothing, Polk thought not of herself, but of that woman. "At least, her clothes were safe," she said.

Polk, however, was devastated by the loss of her beloved cats. The firefighters, she said, gently wrapped the cats' bodies and covered them. Later, Polk took them to her brother's house to be buried.

Polk was concerned with coming back to the charred shell of what had once been her home, to make sure Bernie, a feral cat she feeds, was not left without his nightly meal.

Judy McCarthy, who lives next door, was also out at the time of the fire. The shutters on her home were melted from the intense heat.

"It was a very hot fire," Donnelly said. Two other mobile homes nearby were damaged due to the radiant heat, he said.

The fire was so fierce, Polk said she was told that had she been home, she likely would have not made it out alive. And if she had been there, she would have been trying desperately to save her cats.

In addition, there were "exposure issues," Donnelly said, with two, 2,500 lb. propane cylinders attached to the mobile home. "One of our priorities was to cool these tanks and make sure they weren't damaged," he said.

With the fire breaking out just days before Christmas, and all the gifts Polk had bought for friends and family lost, Donnelly said it was unfortunate, any time of the year, to have someone's home and belongings damaged by fire — and even more unfortunate, during the holidays.

"Thankfully, no one was injured," Donnelly said, including firefighters.

Firefighters from the Wading River, Rocky Point, Ridge, Manorville, Riverhead, and Brookhaven National Lab Fire Departments responded to the scene. Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps also responded.

Polk, who works for Daughters of Wisdom convent in Sound Beach, has also been a puppeteer for more than 30 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to shutter her business and took a nursing job. She had also fractured her leg during the pandemic, and has been unable to perform with her puppets for some time. Her "number-one puppet, Mr. Mouse," who played the harmonica, was lost in the flames.

Another neighbor, Tracy Madison said she was left reeling. "I was devastated."

"My heart went out to Katie because I know how she felt about her pets," said Susan Grover.

Claire Accolla said she was shaking with fear. She ran down to the house when the fire first broke out. "I kept screaming, 'There are cats inside!'"

But sadly, despite valiant efforts, her cats could not be saved.

Ursula Monaco commended Riverhead Town Police Officer Janna Selock for her compassion at the scene; all involved also thanked the fire departments for their response.

On Sunday, Polk stood outside her home, trying to be strong despite the shock — wearing lipstick. "My mother always said to make sure if anything happens, to have your lipstick on." She said she'd been able to purchase an outfit at Savers. "I'm very simple," she said. "I don't need much."

Searching through the rubble, the charred remains of her entire life, Polk was able to find some precious items including her mother's wedding rings, a rosary that survived — a treasured gift that had belonged to a neighbor's father— and a photo of Jesus, that was pristine and untouched, found in a blackened box.

A woman of great faith, Polk said she was able to withstand the loss of all of her material possessions. "It was the loss of my kitties that was the hardest," she said.

Polk, despite her innate optimism and steadfast faith, is now homeless. She is living with relatives, but would like to replace her mobile home and rebuild in the same location at Ramblewood.

Despite the pain of all she's lost, Polk looks to the positive. "You have to look at all the blessings," she said. She thanked the firemen, the police, her family, her church, and her work colleagues.

And, she said, she thanked her neighbors —a steady stream who had poured in since the fire, bringing food, clothing, and an outpouring of caring and concern unlike anything Polk said she's ever seen. "I've been encircled by love," she said.

Friends and family gathered Sunday afternoon with Polk, working toward a plan to help, sharing a meal and stories and surrounding her with the promise that she was not alone on her journey forward.

She added: "You have to look at all the blessings," she said. "I'm grateful for the incredible support of my neighbors, the firemen and the fire chief and Southampton Town Fire Marshal John Rankin. I'm thankful nothing happened to my neighbors' homes, that they didn't catch fire, and that the fire didn't hit the propane tanks. And I'm grateful that they found my pets — so I could bury them that evening. That's a blessing."

A CD survived the fire, one her brother had made for Polk years ago entitled "Party Mix." Listening to the music, Polk said it was a celebration of life — and hope.

"The love I've experienced outweighs the loss," she said. The show of support and hope, she said, "feels like a Christmas story."

The Southampton Town fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.

Donnelly wanted to send a message to the community, reminding them in the event of a fire, to dial 911 directly.

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