STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s a nightmare no family should have to endure — losing a home in the middle of the night to a raging fire, but that’s the reality the Marcinak family faced on the morning of Jan. 31.
While there’s undoubtedly hardship afoot, West Brighton looks out for its own and has been rallying behind the family in its time of need. Through a combination of efforts, the community has generated tens of thousands of dollars for the victims of the devastating fire.
The morning of the fire
Ted Marcinak, 62, was awake when the fire broke out at his home, located at 385 Bard Ave., off Castleton Avenue, at around 1:14 a.m.
Upon smelling smoke, Marcinak, a retired deputy director for the New York City Housing Authority, initially thought it was just someone lighting a fire in the neighborhood. However, the smoke condition worsened.
“Little by little it started getting worse, more intense,” he told the Advance/SILive.com. “I said ‘let me get up and see what’s going on; this isn’t normal.’ So I had gone down to the basement to investigate. When I went down to look in the basement there was smoke down there from the ceiling to about my knee caps.”
West Brighton residents are rallying behind the Marcinak family, which lost their home at 385 Bard Ave. in a three-alarm fire on the morning of Jan. 31, 2026.(Steve White for the Advance/SILive.com)
Though Marcinak knew something was wrong, he did not see any flames.
His wife, Carol, 60, began to call for Ted to let him know that she spotted flames at the side of the house.
At the same time, Ted said he heard a banging at the front door. Outside were fellow West Brighton residents Artie Evans, a retired firefighter, and KC Senk. The two were coincidentally passing by in an Uber when they discovered flames spreading onto their friend’s home and jumped into action.
Upon reflection, Marcinak believes Evans and Senk likely saved his family’s lives. In addition to the married couple, the residence is also home to their son Ted Jr., 29, daughter Alyssa Rosario, 32, son-in-law Miguel, 40, and grandchildren Seraphina, 4, and Violet, who is just five months old.
“Let me tell you something, in an instant, the house went up,” Marcinak explained. “It went from bad to worse in no time.”
West Brighton residents are rallying behind the Marcinak family, which lost their home at 385 Bard Ave. in a three-alarm fire on the morning of Jan. 31, 2026.(Steve White for the Advance/SILive.com)
Thanks to the urgency of his concerned neighbors, everyone was able to get out safely, he said.
Violet was taken for observation as she was premature and caution was warranted. Fortunately, she was removed from the house before the smoke became too overwhelming, according to Marcinak.
As flames ravaged the residence, neighbors across the street welcomed the family into their home to stay warm on the bitter cold night.
Those frigid conditions did not help firefighters combatting the flames, as the moment water from the hoses hit a surface “it was just freezing,” Marcinak noted.
Ultimately, conditions worsened to the point where the situation was designated a three-alarm fire.
A total of 63 units consisting of 192 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene, which was brought under control by 3:54 a.m.
In the wake of the blaze, the Marcinak family has temporarily been put up in a hotel by the Red Cross. As of Saturday, they are awaiting word from their insurance company and looking for another place to live.
Although the family has been able to go back into their house for some items, the home was “pretty much destroyed.”
“I don’t even think it’s all really sank in,” Ted added. “I mean there’s times where, you know, I sit here at night and I just wonder how close, God forbid, we came to a real tragedy.”
Upon word of the family’s crisis, the West Brighton community has banded together to support their neighbors.
The very day of the fire, Dan Lane, Ted’s friend, put together a GoFundMe for the Marcinak family. As of Saturday afternoon, that fundraiser has generated $88,896 toward its $90,000 goal.
That support became palpable during a fundraiser for the family hosted at West Cork Union Hall in West Brighton Friday night.
‘West Brighton Strong’
Upon hearing news of his friend’s situation, Ken Reilly, a longtime friend of the family, immediately began to devise a plan to support the Marcinaks however he could.
At first, the idea was to generate some money among friends to pitch in to recovery efforts, but then, he had the idea for a fundraiser event.
Some of the raffle prizes are shown at the fundraiser hosted at West Cork Union Hall in West Brighton on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, held in support of the Marcinak family.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
With the help of Chris Lacey, Craig Campbell, Joe Teritto, Gregg Wasserman, Casey O’Connor-Manasia and others, Reilly was able to bring the fundraiser to life.
United behind the effort to help a fellow West Brighton resident, restaurants and businesses from the area donated items for raffles in support of the family. Donations could be made to the family and a 50/50 raffle was also held.
Many of those same eateries which donated items for the raffle also contributed food to be enjoyed by guests attending Friday’s fundraiser.
Joanne Meurer, the owner of West Cork Union Hall, called the Marcinak family “very good friends and close friends of the bar.”
She compared West Cork Union Hall to “the neighborhood living room” and that comfortable, homey feeling was certainly on display Friday night.
Members of the West Brighton community rallied together to support the Marcinak family with a fundraiser at West Cork Union Hall in West Brighton on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
The drinks flowed as freely as the brotherly love among the more than 60 attendees. As friends caught up over a brew, music from a live band reverberated off the brick walls accenting the bar. Those who’ve stepped foot in such a Staten Island tavern surely know the unquestionable camaraderie shared between locals, particularly in times of need.
“This is West Brighton,” Reilly told the Advance/SILive.com at the bar.
“It’s amazing, I mean, this is what community’s about, this is what we’re here for,” O’Connor-Manasia, the owner of Castleton Farm to Bagel, said. “This is what your community is.”
For Marcinak, seeing this support has been “beyond belief.”
“I’m born and bred here, my whole family; I’ll never leave, you know? That’s just the way it is,” Ted said on the response from his community. “When somebody, one of our friends, is in trouble, we all jump in and help, you know?”
To support the Marcinak family, visit the GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-teddy-and-family-rebuild-after-the-fire.