REVERE — More than a month after two homes were destroyed by a four-alarm fire on Taft Street, the city came together Sunday for a fundraiser to benefit the victims.
Mayor Brian Arrigo and the city of Revere teamed up with the Revere Lodge of Elks, which was the venue for the event, with all proceeds benefitting the Taft Street Relief Fund. The fund was established by the city after the devastating early morning fire on June 13 that left 18 people homeless. None of the residents were injured, but a responding Cambridge firefighter was treated at an area hospital.
With the fundraiser, the city’s efforts to aid the fire victims continued, as relief agencies, including the American Red Cross, set up at First Congregational Church, shortly after the fire. Residents in need of relief services were urged to visit the church, Arrigo said in the immediate aftermath of the blaze.
On Sunday afternoon, donors, victims and city officials made their way to the fundraiser dinner. Shortly after the event started, Joe Gravellese, aide to the mayor, said there had been a couple of thousand dollars raised. He said there was no set goal, except to raise as much as possible — the victims lost so much in the fire that anything would help.
Peggy Cardone lived at 41 Taft St., a two-family home that was destroyed. She said she had good insurance, which was helpful, but her daughter, who also lived in the dwelling, didn’t. She said her daughter essentially lost everything in the fire.
Cardone said sometimes she finds she has something missing. She might be cooking dinner, and realize that she doesn’t have something that she needs. One particularly devastating loss for her was losing the eulogy she wrote for her father, and the DVD the family put together for his memorial.
Those are the tough things, she said, but for the most part, it was just a house. Cardone said she wishes she could put it back together, but her family all survived, something she is thankful for because it was a terrible fire.
Cardone said she woke up the first time at 3 a.m. The fire started about an hour later. She said she thought she could smell something burning, but after some investigation of the house and looking down the street, she went back to sleep. She thought maybe the smell had come off the wind and was from far off, because after she came back into the house, it was gone. She got back up shortly after 4 a.m. and headed for the bathroom, which is at the back of the house with the kitchen.
“As soon as I stepped my foot into the kitchen, I heard a big whoosh and this wall of fire came up,” Cardone said. “You could see the flames shooting through my kitchen back door, which is an inside door, which meant that it had already went past the outside door, which is very frightening. It had to mean that the whole hallway was on fire.”
Cardone said she’s been fortunate. She said she found a lovely house thanks to a realtor friend. She said the city has been amazing in the aftermath of the fire and that it makes her want to tear up.
Her grandson, Lance Garden, said the support has been like a restoring faith in humanity type of thing. He said the family got a place in Revere, and has been there a couple of weeks now. He said it’s nice place — it’s not home, but it’ll do while the family rebuilds.
Garden and his 10-year-old half-brother, John Frautten, were gifted with Boston Red Sox tickets in the aftermath of the fire by Carol Tye, a School Committee member and former school superintendent.
Tye said the tickets are her family’s, and are five rows behind the Red Sox dugout. She said she wanted to do something to lift John’s spirits after the devastation.
Frautten said he was surprised by the gesture. He said he didn’t know that Tye was going to give him the tickets and they made him feel better.
Jose Lainez was a resident of the other home lost in the fire at 45 Taft St. He lived there with his wife and kids. He said his family is currently staying with his sister-in-law, but are moving next month to Everett. They plan to come back to Revere, he said, and are moving to Everett because they have no choice.
Lainez said he woke up to his second-floor neighbor knocking on his door, which alerted him to the fire. He said it’s amazing what the city is doing for his family, and that no words can express his gratitude.
“In my position as mayor, it’s really heartening to see the community come together during a very difficult situation,” said Arrigo. “This is a very difficult one that happened about a month and a half ago, and to see the community come out, and support the families that have been impacted by the fire, it’s been amazing — it shows the fabric of the community and how strong we are as a city and how we do look out for each other when tough times come around.”
