Special Report: Path to recovery for local house fire victims
When: Thursday, June 26, 2014
Where: Northampton
What happened: A late-night fire originating in the Fountaine family’s basement — believed at the time to have sparked specifically in the laundry room — ripped through the house, sending Tracey Fountaine to the hospital with burns on his face and shoulder. His three daughters, wife and the family’s pitbull-sharpei mix all escaped unharmed. While recovering in Stony Brook University Hospital’s burn unit, Mr. Fountaine still able to witness his daughter Amberlyn’s high school graduation by watching it live via FaceTime.
Robert Sutton, a firefighter and chairman of the fire and life safety committee of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, said people need to stay safe and mindful of potential fires. They can do so by following a simple checklist of safety tips, like properly maintaining oil burners and space heaters or buying certified power outlet strips.
“Most fires are preventable,” he said.
But Mr. Sutton said no one is immune to the danger of fire, not even him. In 1998, while Mr. Sutton was working in New York City, his own home burned down after an electrical fire sparked inside a wall.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what kind of knowledge you have,” he said. “Fire is unbiased and it knows no line.”
Mr. Fountaine said the fire came at an especially hard time: his daughter Amberlyn was graduating from Riverhead High School that week.
“It was a lot to take in,” he said. “We had just lost everything. My daughter was graduating that weekend and we were trying to make sense of everything.”
Mr. Fountaine was the only person injured in the fire; his arms and scalp were burned badly.
“I’ll never be the same in terms of direct sunlight. I’ll always have to cover up,” he said. “But as far as everything else, I’m up back close to 100 percent. I can’t complain.”
Mr. Fountaine admits he at first questioned God why his family had to suffer the tragedy.
“You lose your possessions and the memories you made in that place,” he said. But he said the story of Job in the Bible inspired him to work through the loss.
“Why not me?” he asked. He credits his faith with helping to keep him strong.
His other allies? The friends, family and neighbors who all raised money, donated to him or gave him a place to stay in the immediate aftermath of the fire.
“The outpouring of people, I can’t even fathom, can’t even describe how many people came to our aid,” he said.
The Fountaines’ trailer — along with most of their new home — was paid for by his insurance provider. Mr. Fountaine said his insurance company has made it easier for him, his wife, and two daughters to remain comfortable while their new house is being built.
The Fountaines should be ready to move in by spring, he said as a small owl statue watched on from the television stand.
But for those without insurance, returning to normalcy is more of a struggle.
