Buffalo Law Journal Article on My House Fire
02.27.07 (7:51 pm) [edit]
Law student rebuilds after house fire
By Jodi Sokolowski
Buffalo Law Journal
Tara ******* hadn’t even made her first mortgage payment yet when a fire ravaged her home on Buckeye Road two weeks ago.
But, thankfully, the University at Buffalo Law School student is receiving solace and support from students and staff at the law school, and from the area legal community.
"I’ve been through a lot of things, so you have to be thankful for what you have," said the first-year law student. "I’m a very independent person, and it’s hard for me to accept (donations), but at the same time I recognize that I have a need."
Monetary donations and offers of furniture and places to stay have been flowing in. Not yet sure how much of her furniture can be salvaged, Tara is holding off accepting any. However, she’s already writing thank you notes to those who have donated money.
"People have been very generous. It has been very overwhelming to feel that sense of community still exists," she said.
That’s no surprise to Jim Ostrowski, a general litigator who runs the nonprofit Free Buffalo. Having recently moved his office, he offered Tara an extra desk.
Through efforts such as the Erie County Bar Foundation’s Lawyers Helping Lawyers program, Ostrowski said, the legal community is always willing and ready to help fellow and future attorneys in need.
The same holds true for UB Law.
"We are a big family. We try to take care of each other," said Melinda Saran, vice dean of student affairs.
The first calls for donations to help Tara came in the form of a solicitation from the Eggertsville Hose Company, which responded to the fire. But since then donations have come from various sources, and UB has offered Tara a no-interest loan for $3,000, mainly to help pay veterinary bills that homeowner’s insurance won’t cover.
The night of the fire, Tara was hosting a cocktail party for some UB Law students and staff, marking the start of her second semester. The friends were planning to stay in, but changed their minds.
"We decided to go out, thank God," said Tara. "I got a call that my house was on fire, and I thought it was a joke."
Investigators believe an electrical fire started in the walls of Tara's Amherst home.
Tara's 14-year-old cat, Angel, was killed in the fire, and her black Labrador mix, Tessa, was seriously injured.
"My consolation was that (the cat) didn’t suffer. She was probably asleep in my room where it started," she said.
Another cat, Shadow, is doing fine. "He’s a little needy, but he’s playing," Tara said.
Now back attending classes, Tara has updated friends and contacts about how she’s doing through her Facebook page. Her mentor, real estate lawyer John "Sean" Millane, has been keeping her upbeat with jokes and advice on how to work with her insurance company.
Tara hails from Maryland, where she was an executive assistant for the Armed Services Medical Examiner’s Office. Seeking a joint degree in law and public health, she plans to practice health law while working in real estate on the side.
On his way back from a trip to China, Tara's father will come to Buffalo soon to help her get her life in order again.
"He can help me decide what to do with the house," she said.
By Jodi Sokolowski
Buffalo Law Journal
Tara ******* hadn’t even made her first mortgage payment yet when a fire ravaged her home on Buckeye Road two weeks ago.
But, thankfully, the University at Buffalo Law School student is receiving solace and support from students and staff at the law school, and from the area legal community.
"I’ve been through a lot of things, so you have to be thankful for what you have," said the first-year law student. "I’m a very independent person, and it’s hard for me to accept (donations), but at the same time I recognize that I have a need."
Monetary donations and offers of furniture and places to stay have been flowing in. Not yet sure how much of her furniture can be salvaged, Tara is holding off accepting any. However, she’s already writing thank you notes to those who have donated money.
"People have been very generous. It has been very overwhelming to feel that sense of community still exists," she said.
That’s no surprise to Jim Ostrowski, a general litigator who runs the nonprofit Free Buffalo. Having recently moved his office, he offered Tara an extra desk.
Through efforts such as the Erie County Bar Foundation’s Lawyers Helping Lawyers program, Ostrowski said, the legal community is always willing and ready to help fellow and future attorneys in need.
The same holds true for UB Law.
"We are a big family. We try to take care of each other," said Melinda Saran, vice dean of student affairs.
The first calls for donations to help Tara came in the form of a solicitation from the Eggertsville Hose Company, which responded to the fire. But since then donations have come from various sources, and UB has offered Tara a no-interest loan for $3,000, mainly to help pay veterinary bills that homeowner’s insurance won’t cover.
The night of the fire, Tara was hosting a cocktail party for some UB Law students and staff, marking the start of her second semester. The friends were planning to stay in, but changed their minds.
"We decided to go out, thank God," said Tara. "I got a call that my house was on fire, and I thought it was a joke."
Investigators believe an electrical fire started in the walls of Tara's Amherst home.
Tara's 14-year-old cat, Angel, was killed in the fire, and her black Labrador mix, Tessa, was seriously injured.
"My consolation was that (the cat) didn’t suffer. She was probably asleep in my room where it started," she said.
Another cat, Shadow, is doing fine. "He’s a little needy, but he’s playing," Tara said.
Now back attending classes, Tara has updated friends and contacts about how she’s doing through her Facebook page. Her mentor, real estate lawyer John "Sean" Millane, has been keeping her upbeat with jokes and advice on how to work with her insurance company.
Tara hails from Maryland, where she was an executive assistant for the Armed Services Medical Examiner’s Office. Seeking a joint degree in law and public health, she plans to practice health law while working in real estate on the side.
On his way back from a trip to China, Tara's father will come to Buffalo soon to help her get her life in order again.
"He can help me decide what to do with the house," she said.
Law student Tara ****** stands in her Amherst home, which was ravaged by an electrical fire Jan. 26, weeks after she bought the property.
JIM COURTNEY/BUSINESS FIRST
JIM COURTNEY/BUSINESS FIRST
Damage to Tara's home was most extensive on the second floor, where the fire was believed to have started in a bedroom.
JIM COURTNEY/BUSINESS FIRST
JIM COURTNEY/BUSINESS FIRST
My House was On Fire
02.17.07 (2:57 pm) [edit]
Ok, for those of you who don't know, I had a major house fire on Saturday morning Jan 27th. I have been keeping a sort of blog on facebook, and wanted to copy it to here to let everyone know what's going on, w/o spending too much time...
House Fire Update
11:17pm Sunday, Jan 28
I'm back in Buffalo staying at a hotel with my one cat, Shadow. My other cat, Angel, did not make it through the fire. They had to revive my black lab, Tessa, and she is still at the E/R clinic receiving oxygen and struggling to survive.
The fire department informed me it was an electrical fire and what I can tell the most severe burning occurred behind the walls. The entire second floor has been ruined and I have holes in my ceiling on the first floor. I've been told over and over, thank god I was not at home sleeping.
I was able to recover one of my laptops, printers and all my law books. I will be meeting with the insurance adjuster tomorrow to find out more answers, what will be covered, what I do next, what's salvagable, what's not, etc... My mom took me shopping and I now have the basic necessities, 1 weeks worth of clothes, shoes, coat, toiletries, etc...
If you want to do anything for me right now, please keep my dog Tessa in your thoughts and prayers. I will try and keep things updated for all of you.
Again, to everyone thanks for your support and kindness through all of this. I don't know how I'd be able to manage so well without you.
Love,
Tara
House Fire Update2
10:59pm Tuesday, Jan 30
Ok guys. I met with Allstate yesterday and almost everything will be covered that was damaged. The second floor is where most of the damage was done and nothing was recoverable from there. They had a dry cleaning company come and pick up my clothes in my laundry room to see if they could save any of them, so I might not have lost all of my clothes. They also had a storage/restoring company pick up all furniture and personal items on the first floor that might be salvagable. So hopefully, not everything is lost. My school laptop is not working, but it's covered by insurance and hoping I can at least recover my data from the hard drive.
Hmm, what else, oh they had a contractor over to tarp over my roof to keep further damage from happening. They are also the contractor that will be putting a bid in for the repairs. In addition, I will be meeting with the fire investigator for the insurance company tomorrow, so I will have more answers (hopefully) on what actually caused all this.
Tessa, unfortunately is not doing better today. They have to keep her in oxygen and won't even take her out for walks or bathroom because of her breathing. I did visit her today and it was good to see her tail wag and her get excited a little to see me. The Vet said we should know by Thursday whether or not she'll recover from this, so keep your fingers crossed.
Also, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and caring of everyone so far. It's very difficult for me to accept help, but it's been so very much appreciated. So thank you everyone for everything.
If your interested in helping, at this point I'm just asking for donations for Tessa. I'm facing an ever increasng vet bill and unfortunately she is not covered. If you would like to donate, you can drop it by Dean Saran's office at 314 or mail it to my new address: PO Box 298, Amherst, NY 14226. Again, thanks for everyone's generosity, moral support and help.
Fire Investigator Report
4:30pm Wednesday, Jan 31
I met with the investigator Allstate hired on the fire at the house today. He has assured me that me there was nothing I did or anyone else in the house that night did to start the fire and that it was indeed electrical. That takes a lot of the guilt away from me. He will continue to investigate to try and pin point exactly what started the fire. So good news on that front.
I will be looking at places to live tomorrow, so hopefully by the weekend I'll know where I will be living in the short term. I also spoke with the Allstate insurance guy again today and basically I will practically be getting a new house. The frame is mostly in tack, but they will be gutting the entire house and rebuilding the walls, floors, etc... I was also informed that I can make some alterations to the house if I want to and if I want to pay the cost difference. But, so far things are moving along and he gave me a 3-4 month time frame depending on the weather.
Again, I want to thank everyone for their support and kindness through out this!
TESSA UPDATE
10:54pm Saturday, Feb 3
Today I brought Tessa home! So she is one the mend! I'm so excited. She's still coughing and sometimes breathing hard when she exerts herself. But, when she's resting there is no problem. We have to restrict her physically which means I'm going to have to get a cage for her for a while (she follows me around everywhere even if I leave a room for a couple of minutes, aww how cute).
Anyway, another good thing, I'm moved into my new apartment! It's big and comfy and it's nice to have something in the long short term until my house is fixed up.
Thank you too everyone who has helped with Tessa either through donations or prayers. I really appreciate and so does Tessa!
Peace be with you.
Tara
House Fire Update
11:17pm Sunday, Jan 28
I'm back in Buffalo staying at a hotel with my one cat, Shadow. My other cat, Angel, did not make it through the fire. They had to revive my black lab, Tessa, and she is still at the E/R clinic receiving oxygen and struggling to survive.
The fire department informed me it was an electrical fire and what I can tell the most severe burning occurred behind the walls. The entire second floor has been ruined and I have holes in my ceiling on the first floor. I've been told over and over, thank god I was not at home sleeping.
I was able to recover one of my laptops, printers and all my law books. I will be meeting with the insurance adjuster tomorrow to find out more answers, what will be covered, what I do next, what's salvagable, what's not, etc... My mom took me shopping and I now have the basic necessities, 1 weeks worth of clothes, shoes, coat, toiletries, etc...
If you want to do anything for me right now, please keep my dog Tessa in your thoughts and prayers. I will try and keep things updated for all of you.
Again, to everyone thanks for your support and kindness through all of this. I don't know how I'd be able to manage so well without you.
Love,
Tara
House Fire Update2
10:59pm Tuesday, Jan 30
Ok guys. I met with Allstate yesterday and almost everything will be covered that was damaged. The second floor is where most of the damage was done and nothing was recoverable from there. They had a dry cleaning company come and pick up my clothes in my laundry room to see if they could save any of them, so I might not have lost all of my clothes. They also had a storage/restoring company pick up all furniture and personal items on the first floor that might be salvagable. So hopefully, not everything is lost. My school laptop is not working, but it's covered by insurance and hoping I can at least recover my data from the hard drive.
Hmm, what else, oh they had a contractor over to tarp over my roof to keep further damage from happening. They are also the contractor that will be putting a bid in for the repairs. In addition, I will be meeting with the fire investigator for the insurance company tomorrow, so I will have more answers (hopefully) on what actually caused all this.
Tessa, unfortunately is not doing better today. They have to keep her in oxygen and won't even take her out for walks or bathroom because of her breathing. I did visit her today and it was good to see her tail wag and her get excited a little to see me. The Vet said we should know by Thursday whether or not she'll recover from this, so keep your fingers crossed.
Also, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and caring of everyone so far. It's very difficult for me to accept help, but it's been so very much appreciated. So thank you everyone for everything.
If your interested in helping, at this point I'm just asking for donations for Tessa. I'm facing an ever increasng vet bill and unfortunately she is not covered. If you would like to donate, you can drop it by Dean Saran's office at 314 or mail it to my new address: PO Box 298, Amherst, NY 14226. Again, thanks for everyone's generosity, moral support and help.
Fire Investigator Report
4:30pm Wednesday, Jan 31
I met with the investigator Allstate hired on the fire at the house today. He has assured me that me there was nothing I did or anyone else in the house that night did to start the fire and that it was indeed electrical. That takes a lot of the guilt away from me. He will continue to investigate to try and pin point exactly what started the fire. So good news on that front.
I will be looking at places to live tomorrow, so hopefully by the weekend I'll know where I will be living in the short term. I also spoke with the Allstate insurance guy again today and basically I will practically be getting a new house. The frame is mostly in tack, but they will be gutting the entire house and rebuilding the walls, floors, etc... I was also informed that I can make some alterations to the house if I want to and if I want to pay the cost difference. But, so far things are moving along and he gave me a 3-4 month time frame depending on the weather.
Again, I want to thank everyone for their support and kindness through out this!
TESSA UPDATE
10:54pm Saturday, Feb 3
Today I brought Tessa home! So she is one the mend! I'm so excited. She's still coughing and sometimes breathing hard when she exerts herself. But, when she's resting there is no problem. We have to restrict her physically which means I'm going to have to get a cage for her for a while (she follows me around everywhere even if I leave a room for a couple of minutes, aww how cute).
Anyway, another good thing, I'm moved into my new apartment! It's big and comfy and it's nice to have something in the long short term until my house is fixed up.
Thank you too everyone who has helped with Tessa either through donations or prayers. I really appreciate and so does Tessa!
Peace be with you.
Tara