Residents, And Pets, Grateful For Riverhead Shelter

When Manorvile resident Steffi Pacson, 21, saw the clouds of smoke billowing behind her home on Monday, she knew she had to act quickly.

“It was absolutely terrifying,” Pacson, who was with her sister, Christine, 26, said. “My sister and I have never seen anything like it. The clouds were black and red, and it was right behind our house. I was screaming. It looked really threatening.”

Pacson’s mother, Thelma Pacson and her stepfather, Courtney Fleming, weren’t home, but her mother called Pacson and urged her daughters to head to a shelter set up at the Riverhead Senior Center on Shade Tree Lane.

Pacson and her family -- including their two dogs -- were the only residents to seek shelter at the Riverhead facility Monday night.

When faced with the unthinkable, Pacson said there were only two things she rushed to save. “We knew our dogs were inside the house, so that was the first priority, to get them out,” Pacson said. Her sister is writing a novel, so that was the second thing they hurried to salvage.

Pacson said she is grateful the Suffolk County SPCA allowed for residents to bring their pets to the Riverhead shelter -- because they wouldn’t have gone without their dogs, Jingle and Darcy.

“It’s like leaving a family member in a fire,” Pacson said, adding that she and her family would have slept in the car with their pets if the shelter hadn’t opened its doors for them all.

As she and her sister readied to leave, Pacson said, firefighters were going door to door, asking residents to evacuate; the evacuation orders are still in effect.

Pacson said she and her sister were on their way to the gym when they saw the black smoke spiraling into the sky. They headed home to be sure their home was safe. Their house survived the fire, Pacson said. “We are very relieved and very thankful,” she said. “We’re very fortunate that we have a house to go to. It would have been very, very difficult if it it had actually burned down.”

Looking back on the frightening experience, Pacson said it has been life-altering. “It’s taught me about human compassion,” she said, adding that shelter staff was kind, offering support, food, and water - and her family was thankful to bring their beloved pets.  Pacson, a student at Adelphi University, said she can go back to school and talk not about tragedy, but kindness. “This reminded me that there is good in the world,” Pacson said.