ESSEX COUNTY — Two structure fires this weekend in Lake Placid and Keene devastated two households, but community fundraising efforts have already gained a lot of traction.

On Saturday, the Keene Fire Department responded to a fire at 428 Lacey Road in Keene following a call around 12:30 p.m. There was mutual aid from five other departments: Keene Valley, Lake Placid, Jay, Upper Jay and Au Sable Forks. In total, there were about 30 members, according to Josh Favro, the second assistant chief of the Keene Fire Department.

The Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department responded to that call at 12:31 p.m. with two trucks and 11 members. Justin Roy, head fire driver for the department, said their first apparatus on the scene was a tanker to help provide water supply. They also lent personnel to help fight the fire.

The next day, LPVFD responded to a call about a fire at at 28 Cottonwood Way in Lake Placid at 12:51 a.m. with three trucks and 14 members. The first truck that arrived on the scene reported fire showing through the roof of the structure, which was a trailer, Roy said.

The department began by fighting the fire from the exterior since most of it was concentrated around the roofline. Then, they moved inside. There was an extensive overhaul to make sure all of the fire was extinguished, Roy said.

The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department responded to a mutual aid call for that fire and sent one truck and four members.

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Community support

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Residents displaced by both fires were quickly bolstered by community support in the hours and days after the fire. The residents affected by the fire in Keene declined to comment and requested that their identity remain private. However, a GoFundMe created on their behalf had already surpassed their fundraising goal of $10,000 within about a day of the fund’s creation.

A GoFundMe for the Lake Placid fire has likewise exceeded its fundraising goal of $10,000. The fund raised $15,225 by press time on Tuesday. This GoFundMe can be found at tinyurl.com/3pydm85t.

The Lake Placid resident and multiple people connected to fundraising efforts from both fires did not respond to a request for comments by press time.