Yorktown community rallies to support family after house fire

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—The local community is rallying behind a Yorktown family after a devastating fire destroyed their home.

On Dec. 1, Miriam and Armando Cordova were out of the house when the blaze broke out. Their family cat, Nemo, escaped unharmed, but the couple’s home and all of their belongings were lost.

After many friends and neighbors reached out asking how they could help, a GoFundMe page was created to support the Cordovas as they work to rebuild their home. Donations are needed for basic essentials, including clothing, shoes, and warm coats, as well as underwear, personal hygiene items, and prescriptions that were lost in the fire and must now be refilled.

“This has been an overwhelming and heartbreaking time for our family,” the daughters wrote in the GoFundMe description they created for their parents. “Any support — no matter the amount — will go directly toward helping Miriam and Armando take care of their immediate needs as they begin to rebuild their lives.”

A drive held over the weekend collected over 10 carloads of donations, with roughly half given to Love in Action in Yorktown and Goodwill in Baldwin Place. Other donations, the family said, will go to the Breast Cancer Society.

What the family expected to be a small weekend donation drop-off turned into a significant show of support from the local community.

“What happened was far beyond anything we could have imagined, the family wrote on Facebook. “People making multiple trips… neighbors, Yorktown families, and surrounding towns showing up with open hearts… strangers offering hugs, kindness, and compassion we will never forget.”

It has been a difficult time for the family. One member told Yorktown News that her sister, Christina Raimondi, and her two children were the victims of a horrific domestic violence attack that took the life of Michael Raimondi and left her son, Matthew, severely injured.

With sentencing scheduled for Dec. 18 and the holidays approaching, the family faces an especially challenging period, and the recent fire adds another layer of hardship to what they have already endured.

Despite everything, the family has expressed gratitude for the community’s support and generosity.

“We are humbled by every gesture—the cash donations, gift cards, essential items, messages, prayers, and especially the warmth of human kindness. After suffering such a tragic loss last year, our family has already endured more heartache than most could ever imagine. We barely made it through that nightmare, and then my parents’ home burned down,” the Cordova family wrote in a post shared to Facebook. “Losing our childhood memories and the precious treasures Michael left behind has been indescribably painful. That part has been the hardest of all.”

They added that, “in the midst of this devastation, we know we are not facing it alone. With our neighbors, friends, community, surrounding towns, and organizations lifting us up, we feel hope again. We feel strength again. And we feel Michael watching over us every single day, guiding us through yet another heartbreak with his love.

“Thank you—all of you—for holding us up when we needed it most. Your kindness has touched our hearts in ways we will never forget.”