Mom Loses Everything In Fire: 'It Could Have Been Really Bad'

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — After a fire ripped through a Bridgehampton home early Friday morning, a woman and her daughter were left with nothing, their possessions lost in the rubble that remains.

A GoFundMe page, "Help Sonia Get Back On Her Feet," was created by Karina Bravo, whose mother Sonia Amay and sister Paulina Bravo were in the house that was engulfed in fire.

"My mom Sonia Amay suffered a horrific house fire," Bravo wrote. "Luckily all in the house are safe but unfortunately all their clothes, furniture and precious memories have been brought to ashes."

According to Bridgehampton Fire Department Chief Nick Hemby, a call came in for a structure fire on Narrow Lane, off the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, in Bridgehampton on Friday, March 18 at 3 a.m.

When First Assistant Chief Thomas Federico arrived on scene he found the fire on the south side of the house, in the kitchen to the rear of the home at 131 Narrow Lane, Hemby said.

The homeowner and all occupants had already evacuated the home, he said. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, but heavy damage had already been sustained, Hemby added.

The chiefs called for mutual aid from the East Hampton, Southampton and Sag Harbor Fire Departments. “Our firefighters extinguished the fire by the time our neighbors arrived,” Chief Hemby said. “They assisted us with overhaul and cleanup.”

The Southampton Town Fire Marshal’s office was called to investigate the cause.

Bravo described the night that will live in her family's minds forever. "I got a call, about 3 a.m. It was my sister, she was frantic, trying to explain that there had been a fire."

Her sister Paulina said she had heard crackling noises outside her door, which was right by the kitchen, and when she went to look, the kitchen stove and large refrigerator were already completely ablaze, Bravo said. "She just screamed," she said.

Paulina, she added, alerted her mother and the three others, who lived in the home's second apartment, to get out of the burning house.

The fire spread quickly, Bravo said. Her mother's apartment, which was in the back of the house, was "totally unsalvageable," she said.

In a heartbreaking video, Sonia is heard sobbing softly as she surveys what's left of a lifetime of memories.

Her mother, Bravo said, lost all her sentimental possessions, including a mug collection she treasured, as well as all of her clothes and furniture. Thankfully, photographs and important papers such as birth certificates were found safe in a box inside the home, she said.

"We were trying to calm her down and remind her that the most important thing was that they were all able to get out safely, and no one was injured," Bravo said. "Everything else, we can get back eventually. Your safety and your health don't have a price."

Her mother and sister were renting the apartment in the home that was lost, Bravo said, and now the search is on for a new rental the two can share, at a time when there is a dearth of affordable housing options on the East End. Until a new home is found, her mother and sister are staying with Bravo's uncle in East Hampton.

Despite facing the unthinkable, Bravo said her mother is filled with inner grit and fortitude.

"My mom's a very strong woman," Bravo said. "We told her to take the next day off, but she went to work. She's very responsible."

Her mother, who cleans houses on the East End, has earned the loyalty and love of her longtime clients, many of whom have come together to try to help Sonia in her time of need.

"She's loved by so many people; those who have hired her are really supporting her," Bravo said. "She's so nice, so motherly. She's really touched by how much people really care and want to help."

The outpouring of love is a testament to her mother, Bravo said. "She's just a hardworking and honest lady. She takes pride in doing a good job and being a nice person. That's why everyone wants to help her out in any way they can."

Reflecting on the night of the fire, Bravo said her mother was panicking, watching the house burn. "I told her, 'Mom, I know it's very hard to go through this but thank God, you are okay. Everything could have been totally different.' My mother is very much a woman of faith and finally she said, 'It's true.' She's healthy, my sister and everyone else who was living in that house is healthy."

Describing how she felt, getting the call, Bravo said: "It was the worst call of my life. I had never heard my sister so frantic. Then she said, 'The house is on fire.' It was scary. It could have been really, really bad."

But, Bravo said: "At the same time, I'm so grateful that they're okay. Obviously it's sad, but I don't care about the material things — my family is safe."

She added, on the GoFundMe page: "My mother is incredibly strong and I’m sure will get through this , but any little bit that you can contribute, I know will alleviate the burden of having to start from zero."

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

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