BUFFALO, N.Y. — The community is coming together to help a Buffalo couple that lost some of their pets and most of what they owned in a fire over the weekend.
The fire happened on Bird Avenue in Buffalo Saturday morning. Kelsey Barone was at work, but her boyfriend, Anthony Kelly, was home, and firefighters rescued him from a second-floor window. Kelly got out of the hospital on Monday and Barone says he is doing okay. He has burns and is recovering from smoke inhalation.
They lost their reptiles and two of their cats. They are staying at Kelly's mom's house for now.
But quickly, the community, including Clyde's Feed and Animal Center started thinking of ways to help. That's where Barone works.
"Every little bit helps. It means the world, and nothing's going to bring the animals back, but at least we can start rebuilding and just getting everyone back under one roof," says Kelsey Barone.
There's a GoFundMe and people have been calling the store all day offering to donate household items to the couple.
"We've been taking donations all day on behalf of her. Actually, I've got oddly enough two cards that I've got to give to her later. People just keep dropping off items for her. They're dropping off furniture, they're dropping off household goods, clothing in some cases. So, it's really very powerful," says Jim Millspaugh, President of Clyde's Feed and Animal Center.
Barone says it's a lot to take in and they're taking it one day at a time.
"Words can't even begin to describe the amount of people reaching out. The GoFundMe that they set up, they basically started that the moment I left work because that's where I was when my neighbor called me," says Barone.
"The second phone call we got today was a lady that actually offered, she has a storage unit that's full with furniture from a household that she must have acquired. She offered that to Kelsey to take whatever she needed out of the storage unit. I couldn't even believe that," says Millspaugh.
The goal is to raise $15,000. The community has raised more than $13,000 so far.