Community, NYPD help girls go to prom after losing everything in fire
BEDFORD STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (WABC) -- It's been two weeks since a fire ripped through several homes in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
The residents who used to call 922 Lafayette Avenue their home are still picking up the pieces of their lives.
Members of the NYPD are doing what they can to help make the process more tolerable, which includes making sure a high school student has what they need to go to prom.
Ieisha Kamara and Katelynn Mendez got the proper send off with shoes, a dress and makeup for prom.
"All my stuff burned down," Kamara said.
"I had lost my diploma and my businesses and stuff and also my clothes that I came with," Mendez said.
Authorities say Cassius Moss intentionally set fire to the building next to Kamara's home in Brooklyn on June 4th.
Investigators say surveillance cameras captured Moss buying a bottle of accelerant at a nearby deli before pouring it onto the building and using a cigarette lighter to start the fire.
Moss is facing arson and other charges.
"I mean, you never think it was you that you never think that you would be in this situation. So it was just, like, shocking," Kamara said.
The fire spread to Kamara's home where Mendez, a family friend, was staying for the summer.
Both girls lost many of their belongings, including their prom dresses.
The NYPD and other community leaders stepped in to custom-make their dresses and fund their accessories, decor and their ride to one of the best days of their lives.
"It's means a lot to me like we matter," Mendez said.
"To go to the prom, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing that all kids remember for the rest of their lives. So we're hoping that we can give them something that they can remember for the rest of their lives," Deputy Chief John Buttacavoli said.
The community partners include Haus of Shea, Tatyana Berlyn, Kerryann Edwards, Kinda Grant, Top Tier Catering, Shatimah Brathwaite, Swift Auto Leasing, Kayglambeat, Icenailedit and Slaybylexxis.
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