Man killed in fire worked for CJ's American Grill in Mattituck, owners say
Employers of a 26-year-old man from Guatemala on Wednesday identified him as the man found dead in a home that caught fire Tuesday in Mattituck. Credit: Randee Daddona
The man who died in a fast-moving Mattituck house fire worked for a local catering hall and restaurant, the business owners said Wednesday.
The Suffolk County Police Department's arson and homicide squad are investigating the Tuesday morning fire, authorities said, but police had no updates Wednesday on the fire's cause and did not confirm the victim's identity.
Joanne and Chris Richards, owners of East End Events Catering and CJ’s American Grill, both in Mattituck, said the man who died was Edy Herrera, a kitchen worker.
"He was just a sweet kid who worked as much as he could," Joanne Richards said.
Herrera had worked six-day weeks at the catering company cleaning, doing dishes and prepping food, according to the owners. When wedding season slowed this fall, he picked up shifts at their restaurant.
"He appreciated being able to have that opportunity to work hard and make money," Chris Richards said.
Three other occupants of the two-story home were able to escape the fire without injuries.
Southold police said a 911 call reported the fire about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. The blaze quickly engulfed the home, police and fire officials said.
Firefighters had the blaze under control before noon and were spraying down the smoldering remains of the home into the early afternoon. They were able to keep it from spreading to the adjacent lumber yard, Southhold Police Chief Steve Grattan said Tuesday.
The victim was found on the second floor of the residence, which sits behind Amagansett Building Materials, a supply store along Middle Road, also known as County Road 48, with a lumber yard in back.
Occupants who got out safely told police they had feared a fourth was trapped and unable to escape. They also said 13 people from two families lived in the home, which is on the building supply store property.
Edin Ramerez, Herrera's friend and co-worker, said they grew up together in Quezaltepeque, Guatemala, a town of about 30,000.
Herrera’s first job in the United States had been landscaping, Ramerez said. The two worked together at CJ’s. Herrera worked his last shift Sunday.
"He wanted to come here so he could take care of his mother, to get a better life," Ramerez said.
Friends were raising money to send Herrera’s body home, he said, and an online fundraiser for other residents of the burned house had collected more than $80,000 Wednesday night.
Ramerez described his friend as the only son of a single mother. Ramerez promised her he would take care of Herrera when he came to the United States, he said.
"That’s why I feel so broken now," he said. "What am I going to say to her?"
In an interview, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski praised the community for donating money to their neighbors.
"You’ve got that trauma of being displaced, but the next day, the reality is they need clothes and food," he said.
Krupski also praised firefighters for containing the fire. Given its proximity to a lumber yard and months of drought-like conditions, "it could have continued to spread and burn the whole neighborhood down.
A phone call to the lumber yard’s parent company was not returned, and the Southold town building inspector did not respond to an email.
The man who died in a fast-moving Mattituck house fire worked for a local catering hall and restaurant, the business owners said Wednesday.
The Suffolk County Police Department's arson and homicide squad are investigating the Tuesday morning fire, authorities said, but police had no updates Wednesday on the fire's cause and did not confirm the victim's identity.
Joanne and Chris Richards, owners of East End Events Catering and CJ’s American Grill, both in Mattituck, said the man who died was Edy Herrera, a kitchen worker.
"He was just a sweet kid who worked as much as he could," Joanne Richards said.
Herrera had worked six-day weeks at the catering company cleaning, doing dishes and prepping food, according to the owners. When wedding season slowed this fall, he picked up shifts at their restaurant.
"He appreciated being able to have that opportunity to work hard and make money," Chris Richards said.
Three other occupants of the two-story home were able to escape the fire without injuries.
Southold police said a 911 call reported the fire about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. The blaze quickly engulfed the home, police and fire officials said.
Firefighters had the blaze under control before noon and were spraying down the smoldering remains of the home into the early afternoon. They were able to keep it from spreading to the adjacent lumber yard, Southhold Police Chief Steve Grattan said Tuesday.
The victim was found on the second floor of the residence, which sits behind Amagansett Building Materials, a supply store along Middle Road, also known as County Road 48, with a lumber yard in back.
Occupants who got out safely told police they had feared a fourth was trapped and unable to escape. They also said 13 people from two families lived in the home, which is on the building supply store property.
Edin Ramerez, Herrera's friend and co-worker, said they grew up together in Quezaltepeque, Guatemala, a town of about 30,000.
Herrera’s first job in the United States had been landscaping, Ramerez said. The two worked together at CJ’s. Herrera worked his last shift Sunday.
"He wanted to come here so he could take care of his mother, to get a better life," Ramerez said.
Friends were raising money to send Herrera’s body home, he said, and an online fundraiser for other residents of the burned house had collected more than $80,000 Wednesday night.
Ramerez described his friend as the only son of a single mother. Ramerez promised her he would take care of Herrera when he came to the United States, he said.
"That’s why I feel so broken now," he said. "What am I going to say to her?"
In an interview, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski praised the community for donating money to their neighbors.
"You’ve got that trauma of being displaced, but the next day, the reality is they need clothes and food," he said.
Krupski also praised firefighters for containing the fire. Given its proximity to a lumber yard and months of drought-like conditions, "it could have continued to spread and burn the whole neighborhood down.
A phone call to the lumber yard’s parent company was not returned, and the Southold town building inspector did not respond to an email.
'A spark for them to escalate the fighting' A standoff between officials has stalled progress, eroded community patience and escalated the price tag for taxpayers. Newsday investigative editor Paul LaRocco and NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie report.
'A spark for them to escalate the fighting' A standoff between officials has stalled progress, eroded community patience and escalated the price tag for taxpayers. Newsday investigative editor Paul LaRocco and NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie report.
