Easter fire leaves Oceanside family homeless

An Easter Sunday fire heavily damaged the home of an Oceanside family and left them homeless.

On Sunday afternoon, a fire started on the deck behind the house at 8 Marshall St. Oceanside Fire Department spokesman Ed Scharfberg said the blaze was caused by “careless smoking” — a thrown-away cigarette.

The department received a call at 2:28 p.m., arrived at the house soon afterward and had the fire under control by about 3 p.m. Firefighters rescued a dog and two cats from the house. The Baldwin, Freeport and Island Park fire departments also responded. The house suffered considerable damage and is now uninhabitable.

Its residents, the Reilly family, were not home at the time. The family of four — two adults, a high school sophomore and a 5-month-old girl — were staying with relatives in town after the fire.

A GoFundMe account was started for the family at gofundme.com/helpthereillys. As of press time Monday, it had raised $9,417, and had a goal of $20,000.

Donations can also be brought to 55 Irma Drive in Oceanside. Many clothes and other items for the baby had already been collected as the Herald went to press.