Staten Island couple recovering after fire incinerates home and lifetime of cherished memories

STATETEN ISLAND When FDNY authorities called N.Y. Tadeusz and Jolanta Opach while they were out of town visiting friends, they informed them that their 26-year-old home in Fort Wadsworth had been completely destroyed by a three-alarm fire that started early on December 4.

Gaudencja, the couple’s daughter, told Advance/SILive.com that she’s at a loss for words about the scenario, but she’s simply glad they’re alive and okay.

She remarked, “I still find it hard to believe; it seems like it never happened.” Everything is gone, including the images of my communion and my parents’ wedding.

In 1999, the family relocated from Queens to Staten Island when the couple, who have been married for 42 years, left Poland. Jolanta, 65, continues to teach Polish school at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in New Brighton, while Tadeusz, 74, worked as a carpenter at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan for a large portion of his career.

Although the FDNY initially informed the family that an old house with too many outlets was the cause of the fire, Gaudencja clarified that she has received contradictory information and has not yet received a definite response from fire marshals.

While their insurance company looks into the matter on its own, Tadeusz and Jolanta have been lodging at a motel on Staten Island. It has been challenging to find a more permanent living arrangement that has been approved by insurance because Tadeusz needs modifications for a disability connected to a stroke.

According to Gaudencja, the Opachs have tried multiple times to go back to the house on Hope Lane in the hopes of rescuing some of their treasured possessions, but the smoke damage has only made Jolanta’s respiratory problems worse and caused Tadeusz to have problems with one of his eyes. Since then, the house has been boarded up.

While Jolanta is devastated by the loss of her home and priceless family heirlooms, 40-year-old Gaudencja, an accountant who attended St. Joseph Hill Academy and St. John’s University, said Tadeusz has remained more upbeat because he has grown to love the hotel’s unlimited breakfasts.

Gaudencja remarked, “There are some people in this world who can make a joke out of anything, and that’s my father. He’s so positive.”

As the Opachs struggle to cope with the psychological and physical effects of the fire, Gaudencja’s longtime friend Erin Vadala has set up a GoFundMeto page support the couple during their difficult time. As of this writing, the campaign has raised almost $6,000.

Gaudencja remarked, “Erin has been a fantastic support; I’m just happy to have friends like that.”

You may find the GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-opach-family-after-fire-loss.

On the morning of Wednesday, December 4, 2024, a fire destroyed the Opach family’s house on Hope Lane next to Tompkins Avenue in Fort Wadsworth. (Jan Somma-Hammel/Staten Island Advance)Jan. Somma-Hammel/Staten Island Advance