Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Family of Firefighter Who Rescued Man in UES Blaze Raises Funds for Victims

By Shaye Weaver | December 5, 2016 5:12pm
 Firefighter Jimmy Lee (left) with 93rd Street fire survivor James Duffy.
Firefighter Jimmy Lee (left) with 93rd Street fire survivor James Duffy.
View Full Caption
Jimmy and Erin Lee

YORKVILLE — Firefighter Jimmy Lee scaled down a blazing apartment building on 93rd Street in October to save a man's life, and now he and his wife are making sure the victims who survived the fire get financial support.

The fatal inferno broke out at 324 E. 93rd St., killing 25-year-old Lemmy Thuku, and injuring 16 others in the early morning of Oct. 27.

Lee, who works for the FDNY's Rescue Company 1, made headlines for his daring rescue of 81-year-old James Duffy that day, dangling from a rope over the fire to free Duffy from his fifth floor apartment.

The survivors lost everything, including a pet cat.

To help them get back on their feet, Jimmy and Erin Lee are trying to raise $50,000, or $2,000 per resident, through both the FDNY Pipes and Drums website and a GoFundMe page.

The money will go toward paying for the victims' rent for a month or help them replace their destroyed property.

So far, roughly $4,000 has been collected across the two websites, including more than $1,100 on GoFundMe.

"They've lost everything," Erin Lee, an occupational therapist at an assisted living facility, told DNAinfo New York on Monday.

Andrea Remec, 25, who lost her cat Jilly in the fire, said the help would be much appreciated after escaping only with the clothes on her back.

"The fire happened so quickly, there was no time to gather any personal belongings ahead of time," she said. "Literally, the only clothes my roommate and I had were what we were wearing and I'm sure the same goes for the other residents of the building. This was a devastating loss, especially for those who did not have renter's insurance."

She added that the fundraiser is "a great example of the generosity and willingness of neighbors, complete strangers even, to come together and support one another in times of need."

Friends and family have offered clothing, shelter and support, she said: "It is refreshing."

The fund was started after the Lee family visited longtime Upper East Side resident James Duffy in rehab for Thanksgiving to encourage him.

"He was the inspiration, and just a sweet, warm, positive man, in spite of everything he's been through," she said. "We thought it was important to make sure the victims be assisted in getting whatever they need."

The fundraiser is also being done with Lemmy Thuku in mind, she added. 

"He was such an inspiration," she said. "He came from Africa, got an internship, and had a wonderful roommate that he was close with."

So far she has had trouble pinning down those who lived on the third floor, and has been reaching out to other victims and the city's Housing Preservation and Development agency for help.

"It has been a piece-meal effort trying to get information on who those occupants are, so it's been a little bit of a wild goose chase trying to track them down," Lee said.

The Lees are also planning an "Adopt-A-Resident" campaign for the new year, collecting tangible goods to donate to the displaced residents, including clothing, gift cards, laptops, cellphones and cameras.

One woman from Colorado, who makes quilts for survivors of disasters, has already offered to donate 20 homemade blankets, Lee said.

"People have been really wonderful," Lee said. "It's really about appreciating the fragility of life."

The New York Daily News reported the story first.