CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — One Cheektowaga family had their Mother’s Day start in the worst way possible, with their home engulfed in flames.
At 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Kevin Bozzella woke up to 25-foot flames coming out of his next-door neighbor’s house.
“I looked outside and noticed it was extremely bright,” Bozzella said. “After coming outside, I saw our neighbor's house was on fire, and it was engulfed. It was a huge flame.”
“1:30 a.m., I assume you’re asleep. What woke you up?” 7 News reporter Derek Heid asked.
“I was asleep, I just woke up and had a sweet tooth. Went to get some dessert and that’s when I noticed all the lights outside,” Bozzella said. “As soon as I opened the door, it was so hot that I immediately closed the slider thinking 'Maybe, I shouldn’t just walk out right now.'”
By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire was extremely large.
“We were on the scene in about two minutes after initial dispatch,” assistant fire chief of South Line Fire Dept. Joshua Broad said. “We were met with heavy fire conditions from the garage already extending significantly into the house.”
Broad shared that the fire started in a detached garage, that has since collapsed.
The flames spread through the entire house, taking out the roof and even melting the back of the car parked in the driveway.
Both homeowners and their pet dog made it outside safely.
Broad said one of the owners sustained minor injuries fighting the fire before first responders arrived.
That family is safe, but they still had their Mother’s Day weekend ruined.
“It’s sad they have to be stricken with his today and they can’t focus on the good, they’re focused on the bad. It’s an unfortunate situation,” Broad said.
“[They’re] a very friendly family. Since they are our direct neighbor, we’d run into them snow-blowing the driveway or cutting the lawn,” Bozzella said.
The fire department called the house a total loss.
There is a GoFundMe set up by somebody who says that they lived at the house.
“We will be donating as well,” Broad said. “With that being said, anything that our neighbors can do the help out the family [would be appreciated]. They lost everything, especially on Mother’s Day, it’s a sad tragedy.”
