By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Eagle

BAY RIDGE — In the largest show of community support since a tornado damaged a north Bay Ridge neighborhood two summers ago, over 50 stuffed bags of clothing and other donations were collected and presented by Councilman Vincent Gentile to victims of a recent devastating Third Avenue fire.

The clothing drive for the 18 families who lost their apartments and possessions in the swift conflagration that devastated a building at the corner of 6805 Third Avenue and 68th Street July 29 was led in part by Councilman Gentile. In the weeks after the fire, Gentile’s office on Third Avenue at 87th Street became the repository of clothing, toys and other items for the fire victims, uniting Bay Ridge and nearby communities.

“After the fire, neighbors really stepped up and reached out a hand to help those who lost everything,� said Gentile as the donations were recently presented to victims at the Guild for Exceptional Children’s main building at 260 68th Street off Third Avenue.

“My office collected hundreds upon hundreds of donations; the local support and generosity was truly inspiring and humbling. My office was flooded with donations, clothes and toiletries for families, toys for children and so much more,� said Gentile.

The late evening fire, reported just before midnight on July 29, apparently started in a first floor grocery store at the corner of Third Avenue and 68th Street and quickly engulfed the apartment floors above it, resulting in a four-alarm fire and a huge response by firefighters from several companies.

There were 26 people, including 22 firefighters, injured in the vicious blaze that destroyed the Sunnydale Convenience Store on the ground floor and forced the closing of the neighboring Elmis Unisex Beauty Salon.

Rooms in a Guild service Hope Morrison Center building across the street were opened to provide immediate temporary space and comfort to the fire victims, an act praised by Gentile. That was made possible by the intervention of Guild Executive Director and CEO Paul Cassone.

Food and water were given to the homeless fire victims, who later found refuge with relatives and friends. The American Red Cross helped find housing for 22 adults and 16 children, Red Cross officials reported.

“�The community partnerships I witnessed in the fire’s aftermath highlights what it is that makes our neighborhood a wonderful place to live, our close ties to one another and the partnerships between local groups, families and individuals,� said Gentile.

The response came from individuals and groups in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst, Gentile noted, with the drive’s organization led by Linda Feeley, collecting over 50 bags of donations. Cassone called the amount of donations “astounding.�

“We’re lucky to live in a place where local organizations and people come together to make a positive difference like the one we made with this clothing drive,� said a pleased Gentile.

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