South Buffalo family rebuilds life after devastating fire
SOUTH BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A South Buffalo family is rebuilding their lives after a devastating fire earlier this month. Their two young daughters were inside the residence until a neighbor rushed in and saved them.
April 15 started off like any other day for Ron Bess and his wife, Kenetria Maddox. Bess left his home to take his two young kids to daycare. He left his two older daughters at home.
'After I took them to daycare, I was going to get some groceries,' said Bess. 'Right after I was done getting groceries, I got a call from a friend saying the house was on fire.'
Bess told WIVB News 4 the fire started in the upstairs apartment at 89 Parkview Ave. It quickly spread downstairs, where his two daughters were lying on the couch.
'When I got the call, I was really nervous,' said Bess. 'My oldest daughter wasn't answering the phone. I didn't know what was going on.'
Bess raced home terrified, not knowing for some time if his girls made it out alive. When he arrived, he found them safely outside.
Scottie, a neighbor, had spotted the smoke and flames and jumped into action.
'He asked the people upstairs if there was anybody downstairs,' said Bess. 'He looked in the window and said, there's two little girls.'
Scottie and his friends entered the residence and got the girls out safely.
It's a moment that still gives the family chills. The neighbor who saved their daughters was supposed to go to work early in the morning that day. But Bess said something told Scottie to stay.
'It's traumatizing. I'm just happy that they're OK,' said Kenetria Maddox. 'It could've gone a whole different route.'
The family lost everything in the fire, but now they're taking the first steps towards rebuilding.
They just moved into a new home and will be hosting a housewarming drive-thru where anyone can drop off donations to help them start over. It will take place on May 3 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can message Ron Bess for the address.
The family has also created a GoFundMe with all donations going towards helping them rebuild. If you'd like to donate, you can do so here.
Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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