By Ed Townsend
ROSCOE — October 29, 2002 – The community’s love and support of a family in need is once again being shown in Roscoe and Livingston Manor as fund raising efforts are underway for Steve and Lisa Chesney and their two children Brad and Evan, who lost their home Wednesday afternoon when fire totally destroyed the house.
Jim Bowers, president, and Karrie Jara, treasurer of the Roscoe-Rockland Ambulance Corps, said that donations are presently being accepted through the corps, and anyone interested in helping may call Karrie at the Kirchner Chrysler dealership in Roscoe at 1-888-588-3325 or by mail at P.O. Box 321, Roscoe, NY 12776.
Bowers noted that financial donations are also being made by the Roscoe and Livingston Manor fire departments.
“The whole community will rally around them again,” Jara noted.
The Roscoe Fire Department is gathering food, clothes and money for the family, and the Sullivan County chapter of the American Red Cross is helping.
Donations are also being accepted by the Roscoe Hose Company, Inc. at 10 Union Street, Roscoe, NY 12776.
This is not the first time the community has reached out and shown love from one neighbor to another for the Chesney family. Previous efforts have raised funds to assist 4-year-old Brad Chesney, who is currently undergoing treatment for a recurring brain tumor and earlier this year was selected to participate in the Make-A-Wish Foundation program.
Just a few weeks ago, Brad was hospitalized again with additional complications.
Fire officials said an alarm was activated shortly after 4:30 last Wednesday afternoon by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the Timber Lake West camp area.
The Roscoe and Livingston Manor fire departments arrived at the scene and found the one-story structure ablaze. Water from a nearby pond was used to fight the fire. The Callicoon Center Fire Department was on standby, and the Roscoe-Rockland Ambulance Corps assisted at the scene.
The Chesney family was not at home at the time of the fire, as they were out celebrating the couple’s wedding anniversary and arrived home around 7:30 to find they had lost everything in the blaze. Two of the family’s dogs were outside and escaped the blaze, but two family snakes perished.
Steve Chesney is the caretaker for the Timber Lake West camp, and the camp owners have already moved the Chesney family into another furnished cottage on the grounds. (Steve happens to be a volunteer firefighter with the Roscoe company.)
Fire officials indicated that the fire started in the basement, probably near the furnace, and is considered accidental.