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A single father from Buffalo, New York lost his wife’s ashes in flames during a historic winter storm.
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Gary Ransom said the fire and storm “took the last of me”, including his house and dog.
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Heavy snow prevented first responders from reaching the flames, his daughter said.
Briana Ransom, a nurse in Buffalo, New York, was in the middle of a grueling 96-hour shift at Erie County Medical Center leading up to Christmas. Then the worst regional winter blizzard in nearly 50 years brought immeasurable and compounding loss to her family.
Her father, Gary Ransom, used the stove to keep warm with his two young daughters at home on December 23 during a brutal winter storm that hit Erie County, New York, over Christmas weekend. I was taking left at least 34 dead and many rely on help from strangers to survive.
By Christmas Eve, the family took refuge in a nearby bus station. A few hours later, Gary Ransom received a call that his house was on fire.
The Buffalo Fire and Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Briana Ransom told Insider on Wednesday, “There was so much snow that we couldn’t go down the street to stop the fire, and the fire hydrant at our house was frozen.”
It was another heartbreaking loss for the father of five children who lost his wife, Keionna Ransom, to complications from COVID-19 in January 2022.
“I just feel sad that my father and others are affected by the weather,” she said. “This year has been a very bad year for him.”
“Blizzard of the Century”
New York Governor Katie Hochul called a storm on Monday “Blizzard of the Century”. Erie County officials said at least 34 people have died due to winter weather. According to the Washington Post.
Her family was safe at the bus station during the fire, but Briana and her father soon decided to save the ashes and memorabilia of their stepmother, Kaiona Ransom, during the fire that tore apart Gary Ransom’s home. I realized that I can’t.
Gary Ransom’s four dogs also did not survive the fire. He and his 11-year-old and his 13-year-old daughters were able to move to hotel rooms. One of his reasons for that is that his one of Gary Ransome’s jobs was in the hotel.
“He happens to have two jobs, one of which is the hotel manager at Red Roof. [Inn]So his CFO gave him the room he needed until he no longer needed it,” Brianna Ransom told Insider.
other residents gathered at the barber shop Or you needed the help of a kind-hearted stranger to weather a brutal storm. Frostbite in the storm, Crying for help, I took him in and cared for him until he arrived at the hospital two days later.
The Ransom family said they felt the city wasn’t responding enough, but the community was doing enough.
Roads in Buffalo’s father’s old Masten Park are still covered in snow when I spoke with an insider on Wednesday. Infighting erupted and they were accused of inadequately handling each other. According to the Washington Post.
“The storm hit Friday through Saturday, and Wednesday, they’re still in the city center and haven’t done anything about it,” Brianna Ransom told Insider. “You know, you can’t walk on the sidewalk, you end up walking on the street, and when there’s snow on the street, everything becomes dangerous.”
Buffalo Police did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment.
the first few days The GoFundMe she started for her father Brianna Ransom raised over $6,200 for her father’s move. At a fundraiser, Gary Ransom said the fire “took the last of me.”
“We lost four dogs in a house fire, lost my stepmother’s ashes, her photos, and all of her belongings.” They really showed up for my father and sisters, and we will be forever grateful.”
Read the original article at insider