{"id":334050,"date":"2026-08-31T18:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/334050\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T18:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:54:10","slug":"gofundme-launched-for-sereneco-staff-after-fire-shutters-the-greenpoint-institution-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/334050\/","title":{"rendered":"GoFundMe launched for Sereneco staff after fire shutters the Greenpoint institution \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

A GoFundMe<\/a> campaign is raising money for employees of Greenpoint restaurant Sereneco after a major fire Aug. 28 caused significant damage to the Franklin Street eatery and forced it to close indefinitely.<\/p>\n

The fire broke out Friday morning on the second floor of the multi-commercial building at 113 Franklin St., according to Greenpointers<\/a>. The blaze required a response from 79 FDNY and EMS personnel and took nearly two hours to bring under control. Several firefighters suffered minor injuries and were transported to NYU Langone.<\/p>\n

The Instagram account FDNY Response Videos<\/a> reported that the fire was located in the kitchen walls of the two-story, non-fireproof commercial building.<\/p>\n

While owner Billy Van Dolsen assesses the damage and works through the insurance process, which can take months, his team is out of work for the foreseeable future. The $35,000 fundraiser will help replace lost income for his staff.<\/p>\n

In a statement on GoFundMe, Van Dolsen thanked Greenpoint neighbors for making his restaurant, which opened five years ago, a success. He noted that 100% of donations will be distributed to Sereneco employees who lost their income and that none of the money raised will be used to rebuild the restaurant or compensate ownership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working through the insurance process and doing everything I can to rebuild and reopen, but that\u2019s going to take months, and my team is out of work in the meantime. That\u2019s what this is for. What\u2019s raised here will be distributed to my staff. Not to me, not to the restaurant,\u201d Van Dolsen said. \u201cThe rebuild is mine to figure out with insurance. This is about the people who poured themselves into this place, so they\u2019re supported while we\u2019re closed. My hope is to have every one of them back when we reopen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire that caused significant damage to Sereneco and the commercial building at 113 Franklin St. in Greenpoint on Aug. 28.<\/p>\n

The fire also affected several other businesses in and around the building, which is home to Azure Gourmet, Chama Mama and Threes Brewing. Staff at Maman, located at 84 Kent St., said the cafe also temporarily closed because of the fire.<\/p>\n

Van Dolsen said the neighborhood\u2019s response has already been encouraging, with regular customers, friends and local businesses reaching out to offer support. He specifically thanked Valentine Studios for helping organize the fundraiser.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re able to give, anything helps,\u201d Van Dolsen wrote. \u201cIf you\u2019re hiring and could use extraordinary people, reach out to me directly, I\u2019ll vouch for every single one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for showing up for a place, and a group of people, that have tried to show up for this neighborhood,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

As of Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $9,000 toward its $35,000 goal.<\/p>\n