Patchogue family displaced after house fire, support floods in from community

A Patchogue family is trying to rebuild after a house fire tore through their home while they were sleeping, destroying most of their belongings and totaling a car parked in the garage.

Derek and Luisa Pippin escaped the blaze with their son, Wyatt, and one of their two cats, Ranchero, after a neighbor reportedly spotted the flames and woke them up in time to get out. Their second cat, Bandito, was trapped inside for hours and was rescued after firefighters extinguished the fire.

Bandito is expected to need veterinary care in the near future, according to a GoFundMe effort launched on Friday by family friend Selena Ortiz. Titled “Help the Pippins Rebuild,” Ortiz writes on the page that the family now faces “a long road ahead” and may be out of their home for at least another year.

Ortiz said the money will go toward temporary housing, Bandito’s vet bills, replacing essentials the family lost, and getting Wyatt ready for the new school year with clothes, supplies, and continued participation in his sports.

“Any support, whether through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser, would mean so much as Derek, Luisa, and Wyatt work to rebuild and get back on their feet,” Ortiz wrote.

_{Top: courtesy of GoFundMe}