By Lisa J. Huriash
The Sun Sentinel
SUNRISE, Fla. — Firefighters are usually around for the worst life can dish out: devastating medical emergencies, car crashes with injuries, homes with a lifetime of memories ablaze.
But long after the emergency was over, the Sunrise Fire-Rescue Department Benevolent Association helped one afflicted family put its life back together.
Last week, flames ripped from the garage to the living room of Marty Estrella’s Sunrise house, destroying the Christmas tree and gifts she and her husband, Osvaldo Estrella, had purchased for their granddaughters, Nicole, 7, and Danielle, 10.
Tuesday, the Sunrise firefighters who extinguished the fire that ruined her home took Marty Estrella to Target and purchased clothes and toys for her granddaughters.
“Sometimes Santa is in a red suit, sometimes he’s in a red fire truck,” said Sunrise Deputy Fire Chief John McNamara.
McNamara said the cause of the fire is still under investigation but it appears to be accidental, possibly from a malfunctioning gas heater in the garage. The family wasn’t home, the fire burned unattended, and wind whipped it into a fury, he said.
“We didn’t even realize they had a boat in their driveway that we didn’t even see because that’s how much smoke was coming out of the house,” McNamara said. One of the first police officers on scene “didn’t drive down the street because he couldn’t see and he didn’t want to hit anything.”
Osvaldo Estrella, 78, and his wife, 70, are retired and staying with next-door neighbors. He said contractors estimated it will take about eight months before the house will be ready to move back in. Facing extreme repair bills, the fire department offered to help.
The Benevolent Association’s shopping tab: $700. Among the loot: Barbies, softballs, clothes and musical keyboards.
“No time is convenient to have this type of incident occur, but it exacerbates it when it’s the holidays,” McNamara said. He said the loss for families is tremendous: heirlooms gone, pictures on the wall destroyed, “all the things you’ve worked for.”
He said the department wanted to do their “small part.”
“It was our opportunity to say maybe we can provide joy for them,” he said.
“I think they are heroes,” Osvaldo Estrella said. “They put their life on the line and they have been more than generous by giving us gifts.”
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