Wading River mother recounts losing home, pet in devastating fire

Cindy McCory spent her entire paycheck shopping for Christmas presents for her family on the Friday before the holiday. Hours later, the Wading River resident watched them go up in flames.

The 31-year-old mother of one was left homeless after an early morning fire tore through the rented home on 20th Street on Saturday, Dec. 20, that she had shared since November 2014 with her 37-year-old boyfriend, Donald, and her 13-year-old son Jayson.

Ms. McCory, a special-needs teacher at Victory Alternative for Children in Aquebogue, recounted the horror of seeing her home destroyed — and her desperate attempt to save their beloved pet bunny.

“It felt like a nightmare,” Ms. McCory said through tears in an exclusive Christmas Eve interview with the Riverhead News-Review. “It just doesn’t feel realistic and then I wake up and it feels like a dream, but then I realize it’s real.”

Ms. McCory and Donald have been staying with relatives since the blaze, she said. Jayson, a Riverhead Middle School student who was visiting his father the night of the fire, has remained at his dad’s home.

“It just doesn’t seem like Christmas anymore,” Ms. McCory said. “It’s not Christmas.”

“We just want to be together,” she continued. “Donald’s at his mom’s, I’m at my mom’s. That’s what home was for us. And now it’s gone. We’re all broke. It’s broken.”

Ms. McCory, a self-professed gamer who usually stays up late, was tired after finishing last-minute gifts and holiday preparations and went to bed around 11 p.m. on Friday, she told the Riverhead News-Review.

Around 1 a.m., Donald burst into the bedroom shouting that the house was on fire. Flames had already spread through the kitchen, and thick smoke filled the single-story home, she recalled.

He was awakened by a smoke detector and coughing from smoke, Wading River Fire Chief Mark Donnelly told the News-Review on Wednesday. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found fire throughout multiple rooms of the house, he said.

The couple managed to escape with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Less than a minute later, Ms. McCory said they heard what sounded like the gas stove explode.

“Firefighters later told us we might not have made it,” Ms. McCory said.

Multiple callers reported seeing flames shoot out of the house. Crews from Wading River, Riverhead, Ridge, Rocky Point and Manorville fire departments worked in gusty winds and icy conditions to extinguish the flames 38 minutes after the call came in at 1:07 a.m., according to the Wading River Fire Department.

Before fleeing, Ms. McCory’s first thought was for Daisy, the family’s 4-year-old pet rabbit that she got during the COVID-19 pandemic and trained to roam freely in the house. She spotted Daisy sleeping on the couch, unaware of the fire. When Ms. McCory reached for her, Daisy scratched her hand in panic and darted under the couch.

Ms. McCory used what she believes were her last seconds of breathable air trying to flip the couch and reach the rabbit. When she finally opened the front door and looked back, the smoke was too thick to see.

“I just stood there, and there was nothing I could do,” she said, crying. “She was perfect. Her birthday is Easter. Easter will never be the same.”

A neighbor gave Ms. McCory a robe, blanket, pajama pants, slippers and water after her narrow escape in a T-shirt she wore to bed.

The fire destroyed not only the home but both vehicles parked outside — along with the Christmas presents she had just bought for Jayson and the rest of the family’s possessions.

When Ms. McCory called Jayson to tell him what happened, he broke down.

“He’s been crying,” she said by phone from her mother’s Patchogue home. “All he cares about is Daisy. He doesn’t even care about the tree or his guitars. He lost his bunny.”

The family lives well below the area median income and could not afford renters insurance, Ms. McCory’s brother, Steven, told the Riverhead News-Review on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

Mr. McCory launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $24,000 toward a $26,000 goal as of Tuesday, Jan. 6.

“They are left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the love they share,” he wrote on the fundraiser page.

He learned about the fire at 7:30 a.m. that Saturday when his father called him. It was the first GoFundMe campaign he’d ever created. To donate to it, visit gofundme.com/f/help-cindys-family-rebuild-after-house-fire.

“Devastating and heartbreaking to hear my sister’s account of the details,” he said. “I figured with community support we can help this young family rebuild rather quickly.”

One family member donated a car to Ms. McCory so she could drive to her job. Others organized resources and clothing.

Mr. McCory and his wife have put together Christmas gifts for their nephew, Jayson, whom he described as a bright young man.

Ms. McCory said she’s buoyed by the support from friends, family, colleagues and others in the community.

“We are so grateful,” she said. “It means everything. I’m a Christian. I truly believe that.”

“It’s a tragedy at this time of year,” Chief Donnelly said. “We urge everybody to be careful during the holiday season.”

The fire chief, who is finishing his third term as chief and will step down next month after 37 years with the department, emphasized the importance of evacuating immediately when smoke detectors sound and never going back inside for any reason — including pets.

“People get overcome very quickly,” he said. “People are not aware how quickly fire grows.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Riverhead Town Fire Marshal’s Office.

Mr. McCory said the home was built by the landlord’s grandfather, and its electrical wiring was recently updated.