Roland Van Etten stood outside his house on Friday reading the usage regulations on the dumpster that a few hours earlier was delivered to his property. The container will be filled with the charred, smoke-stained items that once filled his household. Even after several days, the acrid and choking remnants of fire and smoke fill the air surrounding his house.

On Labor Day weekend, as he was driving his teenage daughter to a friend's house, he received an emergency call from his aunt. His house was on fire.

By the time he returned to his house on Mt Vernon Road in Summitville, firefighters were already there fighting to save his house. He watched as they carried his cat out of the two-story house.

Jack (short for Jack-o'-lantern, because of his orange coat) was hacking out puffs of smoke and required oxygen. By Friday the poor cat was still showing signs of smoke inhalation distress. But Van Etten, able to maintain his humor through his shock, joked that Jack still has seven lives.

Van Etten's daughter's chameleon was also in the house and was rescued by firefighters as well. Van Etten said he thanked God that neither he or his daughter were home at the time.

Just two years ago, Van Etten liquidated his retirement money to purchase the house. He has spent the following two years fixing the foreclosed house that was also a Fannie Mae HomePath property, meaning it was stripped of everything: boiler, copper pipes, water heater, etcetera. The house is one of the original houses in the district. Built in 1892, it still has the original hand-painted wall coverings.

Before he can fully process the damage, he must assess all the home improvement work he has done over the years, like new siding and plaster walls in his daughter's room. He had just been awarded custody of one of his daughters earlier this year, and was looking forward to establishing a new family home for years to come.

Damage assessment will also come slowly, because asthma prevents Van Etten from entering the house for too long. He says he’s still in shock, battling several health problems. The health concerns have caused him to miss work and take unpaid days. He said he also took a demotion at his job because of his health restrictions caused by infections in his legs, which has resulted in the loss of $3 an hour. In addition, due to COVID-19, he has had to quarantine several times because of possible exposure. These days have been unpaid, totaling a loss of 10 weeks' pay, according to Van Etten.

Despite all the setbacks, Van Etten says he is extremely grateful for his family and community, like his neighbor who happened to return home right when smoke began to billow out of Van Etten's house. The neighbor immediately alerted Van Etten's relatives across the street.

Within minutes, several emergency departments were on the scene, including the Summitville, Wurtsboro, Bloomingburg, Walker Valley, and Rock Hill fire departments, and Mamakating First Aid. Thanks to the swift action of the neighbor and aunt, the response time was within minutes, and the firefighters saved much of the house. The fire, along with some water damage, is mostly confined to the first floor, but smoke damage is throughout the house.

This tight-nit community has also hooked Van Etten up with the services of an electrician, who’s also a neighbor, and a plumber who is also a fire chief. The Red Cross has helped out with some new clothes for Van Etten as well. Luckily, his daughter had most of her clothes at her mother's house. Van Etten’s aunt set up at GoFundMe page to help fund the repairs as well. It can be accessed here. So far it has raised over $1,000 of its $10,000 goal.