See a video of neighbor Lateef Haskins recounting the rescue of the Poon family.
Clay, NY--Neighbors gathering money, gift cards and other donations for the Bayberry family rescued from their burning home Friday will be accepting donations Thursday at the Market Block Party at the Central New York Regional Market.
A fire late Friday night heavily damaged this home at 37 Bayberry Circle in Liverpool. The four members of the Poon family were rescued from their burning home at 37 Bayberry Circle in Clay Friday evening by neighbor Lateef Haskins and four Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputies. Haskins and his wife Jessica, who live across the street at 36 Bayberry Circle, have offered their home as a collection point for people wishing donate to the family.
Since the weekend, people have dropped by with food, clothing, cash, gift cards and checks for the family, Jessica Haskins said this morning. Haskins said she's not sure how much has been collected, but estimated it's several hundred dollars.
She has been giving the money directly to Catherine Poon, who was rescued from the blaze along with her children Michael, 16, Scarlet, 21 and niece Amy Chei, 20.
The Haskins ask that people refrain from dropping off furniture or appliances for the family because the Poons have no where to put those items.
The outpouring of support has been overwhelming, Jessica Haskins said.
“People are just reaching out. It’s crazy. I’m excited to see what’s God’s going to do in all this,” she said.
One of those reaching out was Michael Banks, a Bayberry neighbor who is a past president of the Bayberry Community Association. Banks is the owner-promoter of Aloha Events, the company that produces the Market Block Party, a 10-week concert series at the Regional Market on Park Street in Syracuse.
The block party often allows a charity to hold fundraisers at the event, and has offered the spot Thursday to the Haskins and other neighbors who are collecting funds for the Poons. They will collect donations from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the block party.
The family was on the second floor of their home at 11:22 p.m. Friday when a faulty electrical cord is believed to have started a fire on the main floor. See previous stories.
Lateef Haskins heard Michael Poon calling for help. Calling 911, Haskins ran across the street, and at first tried to douse the flames with a hose. When that didn’t work, he ran back across the street to his house to get a ladder to rescue the family from the burning building.
As Haskins set the ladder up against the burning house, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputies Mike Doupe, Tim Hahn and Tim Kelly arrived. As the deputies rescued two people from the building, Haskins got a ladder from another neighbor’s house to rescue more family members.
The family’s puppy died in the blaze.