Family thankful a year after surviving Thanksgiving fire

<p>Members of a Garden City family that escaped a house fire last Thanksgiving week say&nbsp;they are thankful to have a roof under which to celebrate this year.</p>

News 12 Staff

Nov 23, 2017, 10:32 PM

Updated 2,343 days ago

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Members of a Garden City family that escaped a house fire last Thanksgiving week say they are thankful to have a roof under which to celebrate this year.
"We were left nothing after the fire," says Thomas Urban. "We had nothing but the jackets on our back. It was really cold that day."
After a power outage, the Urbans' TV burst into flames when electricity returned, says Joysee Urban, Thomas's wife. Flames ravaged their two-family Floral Park home.
But neighbors stepped in to help. The couple, their two sons and Joysee's parents stayed with friends. Other friends donated money. Some cooked meals. Others even took care of their cats. The community raised funds to help them out. By December, they had secured a rental home in Garden City.
A year later, on Thanksgiving, the Urbans say they are thankful for those people.
To show their gratitude, they say they want to reach out to other families in need to make sure they have a full table during the holiday season, too.
Among their ideas, they say they would like to host a family for Christmas.
The family expects the Floral Park home to be finally rebuilt sometime in January.


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