Dual of the Schools

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

COEYMANS — When hard times hit, oftentimes it is the support of family and sometimes total strangers that can make the intolerable, tolerable.

For the Kunuria and Marcello families, the strength of their faith and the support of their community have helped to pull them through what could be one of the most difficult things any family has to experience.

The Kunuria family — mom, dad and their three children — and Rebecca Kunuria’s parents, the Marcellos — lost everything they had in a massive fire at their Lawson Lake Road home Feb. 26.

The two families made it out of the fire uninjured with their dog, a standard poodle, but three cats and one bird perished in the blaze.

Nothing is left of the home or their belongings — they left with just the clothes on their backs.

Now, their church, King’s Chapel in Glenmont, and the rest of the community have banded together to help the families in their time of need.

The fire started in a chimney at the home Rebecca Kunuria’s father built himself decades ago.

“My husband and I live with our three children at the home that my father built when I was 14,” she said. “He owned a business building post-and-beam houses, so he built the home when I was 14.”

About 15 years ago, her father, a corrections officer, wanted to retire but couldn’t afford to do so and still keep the family home, so Rebecca and her husband eventually purchased it and both families lived in their own living spaces in the house.

The Kunurias were married on the property and have raised their three children — two daughters ages 15 and 11, and a nine-year-old son — there.

Both families were home and asleep at the time of the fire.

Rebecca’s mom, Diane Marcello, woke up around 1:20 a.m. and there was no indication of a fire, other than a bright orange glow outside her bedroom window. She woke up her husband and they saw there was a fire outside the house.

She woke everyone up and they rushed the children outside to safety.

At the same time, Rebecca Kunuria relates a story she attributes to her faith.

“My mother-in-law, who lives in Schenectady, woke up at 1:10 — she remembers the exact time it was — she thought she heard a noise and woke up but the house was completely quiet,” Rebecca said. “She felt like her heart was burdened so she started praying and singing worship music. She didn’t know what she was praying for, but she was just praying and worshiping. I can almost guarantee that was when the fire started.”

“We have a deep faith, so I truly believe the Holy Spirit woke her up,” Rebecca said.

When the family first realized the house was ablaze, there was no smoke in the home, no alarms, and no evidence of a fire other than the orange glow visible from the window.

As most of the family rushed outside, Rebecca’s father went downstairs — not knowing how quickly the flames were spreading — to see if he could try to stop it.

“He didn’t open the door, but smoke started coming in through the top of the door. He started spraying with the fire extinguisher, not knowing the degree of what was going on outside,” Rebecca said. “At that point, more flames started coming in the sides of the door as well, so he realized how bad it was and thank God, he got out of the house.”

The family and their dog piled into the family’s van and drove to the bottom of the driveway, called 911, and watched as their home and everything they own was destroyed.

“I looked to the back of the house and saw the forest catching on fire,” she said. “I don’t remember this, but the neighbors said they heard me screaming that the forest was on fire.”

That’s when one of the home’s propane tanks exploded.

“My husband was blown off his feet,” Rebecca said.

The flames spread incredibly fast, she said.

“Had my mom and dad woken up even five minutes later, I don’t know what would have happened,” she said. “I watched as flames started coming out of our bedroom windows — it was just a massive bonfire.”

The fire started in the chimney, she said. The chimney is cleaned regularly and at the start of the heating season, so she said it is unclear why the fire started.

“By the time all was said and done, there was nothing left,” she said.

Now, the community is banding together to come to their aid — including assistance from an unexpected source.

“The amazing generosity of strangers has just been overwhelming,” she said. “We had a neighbor down the road from us who we never even met who found out about it and contacted us through our church. They are in Florida until April and they offered for us to stay in their home for as long as we need. It is incredible.”

A GoFundMe has also been set up online and as of press time on Monday had raised $18,400. King’s Chapel in Glenmont also set up a fundraiser with no fees, so 100% of all donations goes directly to the family. The church is also collecting physical donations and has received lots of clothing and toys for the children, but the family could use other items such as desks and computers for their three children, who are homeschooled.

The Red Cross has provided the families with assistance, and homeowner’s insurance will also help by providing a rental home and some furnishings as the family rebuilds, but they need to replace everything they own.

“We walked out with nothing — just with our kids and the dog,” Rebecca said.

It is the strength of their faith and the generosity of their community that has helped the family pull through their ordeal.

“We have just been overwhelmed by the love and support that we have been shown by the community, by our church family, our family and friends,” Rebecca Kunuria said. “The most overwhelming is the love and support coming from complete strangers that we have never even met. That is what is carrying our family through this time.”

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

COEYMANS — The cause of the explosion that sparked a major fire at the Coeymans marina last Thursday appears to be welding that was being done near a waste oil tank, according to the preliminary investigation, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said.

The employee was injured in the explosion and was airlifted by LifeNet to the University of Vermont Medical Center to be treated for his injuries, Apple said.

The 56-year-old male employee, whose name has not been released, suffered severe burns to his face and body, according to the sheriff.

“Upon a preliminary investigation it was determined that prior to the explosion the injured male was welding in close proximity to a waste oil tank, which appears to have been the origin of the explosion,” Apple said Friday.

The investigation was still ongoing at press time.

The explosion and fire at Coeymans Landing Marina Services generated plumes of black smoke that spread across the hamlet Jan. 20.

Residents and businesses were not officially ordered to evacuate on the day of the fire, but they were encouraged to leave the area if possible, Town Supervisor George McHugh said the day of the fire.

“The firemen went around to houses nearby and told people to close their windows and not come outside, and if they have someplace else to go, go,” McHugh said.

People were asked to stay away from the area until the fire was completely brought under control.

One of the big concerns the day of the fire was the proximity of the flames to highly flammable materials, McHugh said.

“There are a lot of waste oil barrels and three boats there that are on fire,” the town supervisor said.

There were no explosions after the initial blast that started the fire.

With officials asking residents to stay indoors and keep windows closed, the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district announced Thursday that changes were made to the day’s routine at Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School, which is located less than a mile from the marina where the fire was blazing.

“We have chosen to hold recess at Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary inside for today and have made temporary modifications to our air circulation,” the district announced on its website Thursday.

Numerous fire companies responded to the scene and battled frosty temperatures to bring the fire under control. Responding fire departments included Coeymans, Coeymans Hollow, Ravena, New Baltimore, Selkirk, Coxsackie, East Berne, Westerlo and Medway-Grapeville.

“Crews were able to extinguish this fire despite the cold temperatures and through an extensive amount of coordination,” according to a statement from the Ravena Fire Department.

Also responding were the Albany County Fire Coordinator’s Office, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Office for Fire Prevention and Control, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Elsmere Fire District provided coverage for the town while the departments were working at the scene.

Emergency medical services were provided by the Ravena Rescue Squad and Albany County EMS. The Coeymans Police Department and Albany County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene.

McHugh said the work done by first responders was invaluable.

“All I can say is that Coeymans residents are very fortunate to have these first responders in our community and available in times of crisis,” McHugh said in a statement. “Their professionalism and dedication to serving our community and putting their lives on the line for their fellow neighbor is amazing, and my words cannot even begin to describe the pride and admiration I have for all of them.”