Son Starts GoFundMe For Mom Displaced In Long Island Fire

LEVITTOWN, NY — A worried son has set up a GoFundMe page for his mother who lost everything in a tragic fire over last weekend in Levittown.

James Capuano of Merrick has started raising funds for his mother, Diane Capuano, and her boyfriend, after a devastating fire on Saturday tore through the home they lived in, leaving nothing left behind. The 61-year-old woman, who was her landlord, died along with her dog, Capuano said.

“Today was a living nightmare,” Capuano wrote Saturday. “My Mother’s house burned down, and she literally has nothing. Thank God she is okay. Unfortunately, her landlord and dog weren’t so lucky....Please say your prayers for them and their family.”

“Anything anyone gives would be more than appreciated and will go directly to her to help her get back on her feet,” Capuano wrote, adding, “Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart.”

So far, Capuano has raised about $25,000 out of his $40,000 goal.

He described everyone as generous, noting that the funds will help his mother “tremendously” because she did not have renters insurance “and literally needs to buy everything.” He also asked that if anyone in the community knows of a one-bedroom apartment to contact him through the GoFundMe page.

Donations continued to pour in Wednesday from members of the community who know the Capuano, as did well wishes.

“We're so sorry this is happening to your family.. sending our love your way xoxo,” wrote one supporter.

Another wrote, “This is a terrible situation and everything helps.”

Yet another sent $30, with this note: “My prayers are with you all.”

Homicide Squad Detectives said that the fire broke out at about 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, and when officers arrived, they saw "heavy black smoke fully engulfing the home." Firefighters from the Levittown Fire Department forced their way into the home, and found the woman unconscious, police said, adding that she was pronounced dead by a police medic.

Her name has not been released.

It took firefighters from four different fire agencies, including the Levittown, Bethpage, Wantagh and East Meadow fire departments to extinguish the fire, according to police.

Multiple police units also responded to the four-alarm blaze, a police spokesman said. The fire is not considered suspicious, but an investigation is ongoing, police said.