2016 brings hope to Bridgeport families devistated by fire

Firefighters Randy Pittman, left, and Stephen Hmura stand watch on Friday at the scene of a fire at a condominium complex on Charles Street in Bridgeport. Firefighters Randy Pittman, left, and Stephen Hmura stand watch on Friday at the scene of a fire at a condominium complex on Charles Street in Bridgeport. Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close 2016 brings hope to Bridgeport families devistated by fire 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

BRIDGEPORT — They came from Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford and Bridgeport.

Their hands lugged bags, boxes and bins.

But more importantly, they carried hope.

Hope for a New Year and new beginnings to the nearly 140 victims who lost everything but their lives on the last day of 2015, when when a fire consumed the 36-unit condominium complex at 215 Charles St.

“The response has been awesome,” said Leo Koutikas, who watched his New Colony II Diner and its parking lot fill Friday with donors bringing gifts for the victims. “They’ve been coming since 6 a.m. And I hope they keep coming all weekend.”

While some area residents sat on couches watching the New Year’s TV schedule of college football games, many others, like Lori and Tracey Kocapele, Thomas Wilkinson and his son, Tom, and Donald Tague, packed up unneeded clothes, toys and food and delivered them to the diner.

Investigators believe the devastating blaze was caused by a car fire in the condo complex’s bottom-level garage. Thursday’s smoke could be seen from as far way as Route 8 in downtown Shelton, according to Chris Jones, a Shelton firefighter.

Hot spots still flared Friday in debris from the demolished rear portion of the complex. Mayor Joe Ganim said the entire thing would be taken down.

Looking at the smoldering ruins, Tague shook his head.

“It’s unreal,” he said, after delivering clothes.

Compassion and empathy

The fire rekindled memories in the Kocapele sisters of a similar time in their lives. Several years ago, they were the victims of fire.

“It’s such a terrible thing,” Tracey said.

“You can’t put into words the devastation,” added Thomas Wilkinson, who is president of Local 371 of the United Food & Commercial Workers International union. “Unfortunately, these circumstances can happen to anyone at any moment. It’s up to regular people like ourselves to respond to whatever needs there are.”

So he and his son dropped off clothes, and Wilkinson promised that his union would be making “a monetary donation.”

By 2 p.m., Ganim, John Gomes, the city’s acting chief administrative officer, Police Detective Ray Garcia, the mayor’s friend, Danny Pizzaro, even Mario Testa, the Democratic Town chairman, were among those lugging the bags, boxes and bins into the first of two Department of Public Works box trucks.

“Have you ever seen such an outpouring of support?” Ganim asked. “This is incredible.”

While he stood in the parking lot, a Norwalk woman came up to him after delivering a bag of donations. Ganim thanked her.

A Fairfield man gave Pizzaro his card and told him he had two available rents on Norman Street.

“Things like this bring out the best in people,” the mayor said.

The trucks were unloaded at the City Hall Annex at 999 Broad St., where volunteers were to sort through the items.

“We need people to help with the sorting,” said Gomes. Anyone willing to volunteer time should stop by the annex over the weekend, he said.

Victims are invited to come to the annex Saturday between 2 and 5:30 p.m. to obtain needed items.

Meanwhile, fire victims like Thiago Montero, who lived in the complex with his wife, Silmari, and their 6-year-old daughter, Sarah, were moved by the donations.

“We left with just the clothes on our back,” he said. “We lost everything. We have nothing.”

Montero said when he saw smoke Thursday morning, he called 911, and then ran down the hallways, yelling for people to get out.

“We have had about five ... false alarms,” he said. “I wanted to make sure people knew this was the real deal.”

Micha Hylton was one of those who heard his screams. She admits being skeptical upon hearing the alarm, because of the prior false ones.

“We couldn’t grab anything,” she said. “We just ran out of the building.”

Finding a new home

For Hylton and her family, which includes her daughter, Tamara Williams, her sister, Donna Hylton, her niece, Abigail McDonald and their dog, Scooby, the rest of the day became a whirlwind.

Left homeless in the morning, the Hylton brood was living in their new Ogden Street home by evening, thanks to Ganim and the Rev. Charles Stallworth, a state representative and pastor of East End Baptist Tabernacle.

Hylton had been expecting to close on the Ogden Street home later this month.

“When we heard that, we worked to get her in that house yesterday,” Ganim said. “Think about it — she’s going to buy the house, the house is empty, and they had nowhere to go. Why put her in a temporary shelter?”

By 5 p.m. Thursday, Hylton had the keys to her new home. Then, around 8 p.m., Ganim and Stallworth dropped by with her first pieces of furniture — a bed, mattress and boxspring.

The mayor came back Friday afternoon to check on the family. This time he delivered a bag of dog food, some of which he used to hand feed Scooby. Ganim also told the family of arrangements made with Goodwill Industries to deliver more furniture.

Finally he promised to help Williams get the lupus medication she needs.

After Ganim left, Hylton expressed her appreciation.

“God works miracles,” she said.