An unsung hero at the Riverside Avenue fire
Several firefighters heroically fought a blaze that killed one resident in a home on Riverside Avenue in Seaford on Dec. 6. Nearly 70 firefighters from several departments arrived to fight the fire, according to the Wantagh Fire Department.
But another hero — Riverside Avenue resident James Mooney — emerged on the scene before any firefighters had arrived, according to neighbors.
Mooney’s heroic actions were not made public following the fire, but multiple sources have claimed that Mooney was the real first responder to the raging blaze.
In the early morning of Dec. 6, the house, at 2464 Riverside Ave., was suddenly engulfed in flames, officials said. Gloria Monk, 80, could not be saved and was pronounced dead, but her daughter, Deborah Asdahl, 60, was trapped inside and eventually rescued, thanks to Mooney’s quick-thinking actions.
According to neighbors, Mooney was driving past the house shortly after 6 a.m. when he saw the smoke billowing from the home. His wife, Amanda, said he immediately sprung into action and called 911. He then broke down the front door with a golf club, entered the residence, and woke up Asdahl, before escorting her out of the house.
He then rushed back into the home in an effort to save Monk, who was upstairs, but the flames were too intense, driving Mooney back.
“It is very important that people know this side of the story,” Amanda Mooney wrote to the Herald. “If only to give people hope that there really are good people in this world that will go out of their way for strangers — in this case, risk their life. It is such an unfortunate event, but it is important to find the light in such dark moments.”
Kelly Koerner, a Riverside Avenue resident who saw the fire firsthand, backed these claims of Mooney’s heroic actions.
“Our neighbor was on his way to work when he saw the flames,” Koerner wrote to the Herald. “The fire department was not on the scene at this time. He saved Deborah and got her out of the house. He went to go upstairs to save her mom, Gloria, but when he got to the top of the stairs, the flames were everywhere and he couldn’t get to her.”
Asdahl’s husband, Scott Betts, 63, who said he lost everything in the fire, was not home at the time.
An investigation was underway by the Nassau County Police Arson and Bomb Squad and the Nassau County Fire Marshal to determine the exact cause of the fire, although it did not appear to be suspicious.
