BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Buffalo’s tragic firefighter death of Jason Arno, 37, is hitting close to home for a Lackawanna woman who lost her son 14 years ago in a city blaze.
“I know first-hand how horrible and how dangerous their everyday life is,” remarked Angie Heusinger, mother of Jonathan Croom.
In August of 2009, Buffalo firefighter Jonathan Croom and Lt. Charles ‘Chip’ McCarthy were killed as they battled a fire inside a deli on Genesee Street near Bailey Avenue when the floor partially collapsed out from under them.
Croom's mom, she says didn't realize how ripped open things would feel when learning of Wednesday's tragic fire at 745 main street in downtown Buffalo. She says it set off a rush of emotions.
“Your brain doesn't want to believe underneath that flag and on that stokes basket, is somebody that you love so dearly and you'll never see again,” Heusinger reflected.
Angie tells me she started to get texts Wednesday from Buffalo firefighters and others knowing how tough it would be for her to learn of this tragedy.
“To hear about this tragedy, I didn't realize how ripped open things were going to feel — how raw the feelings were that came over me yesterday,” recalled Heusinger,
Buffalo Firefighter union president Vinny Ventresca appeared Thursday at a news conference saying how devastated his firefighters are to lose one of their own and noted the 2009 firefighter class just started when Croom and McCarthy were killed.
“Avast majority of the department has never suffered this type of tragedy and I think that it's just awful and we're going to have to deal with it and with coordination between ourselves in the city, we're going to be doing a lot of peer counseling and doing everything we can to serve all the members,” replied Ventresca.
Angie tells me she will be reaching out to the Arno family because she recalls how the close-knit firefighter family helped her after losing her son.
“What's going to happen with this family in the next couple of days is something that you never, ever want to have to do. part of that will be the funeral home — it will be picking the casket for somebody that should otherwise be home,” responded Heusinger.
