Community rallies for West Haven woman, son who lost all in fire

Feb. 16--WEST HAVEN -- Lisa Bernardo, 31, is the kind of person who has always been there to help others, so when the single mom with a special needs son lost everything in an apartment fire last week, her younger sister Angela Jackson, 26, planned a fundraiser to help Bernardo start over.

"My sister is always doing stuff for everyone else," Jackson said. "She's the nicest person and someone whose been through a lot."

These days, it's the normally strong Bernardo who breaks down in tears unexpectedly.

Jackson has planned a fundraiser for Feb. 18 for her sister at their father's Milford restaurant, New Haven Pizza Place, 1377 New Haven Ave. The fundraiser is from 4 to 10 p.m. and pizza and spaghetti and meatballs will be served. Tickets are $20. There also will be many donated raffle prizes. Anybody who wants to donate money can mail checks to the restaurant.

All proceeds will go toward getting Bernardo and her son, Damien, 7, a new place of their own and new furnishings, household items and clothes.

"I'm determined for my son," Bernardo said. "I want to start my new beginning since it was cut short."

Bernardo, relatives say, is the kind of single mom always working toward a better life for herself and Damien -- and just when she had reached a new level -- Damien would finally have his own bedroom -- it was all taken away by a daytime fire started by a defective wax warmer.

Fire Chief Keith Flood said Thursday he couldn't release details, as the fire is still under investigation, but family said they were told the defective warmer was what had started the blaze.

It was 4:55 p.m. Feb. 6 and Bernardo was just leaving her job as manager of Westville Seafood in New Haven when she got the call from her landlord that a fire and smoke had essentially destroyed her new place and belongings.

Through tears she rushed to the scene, not sure to this day how she made it there safely.

Bernardo, who previously lived in a studio apartment in New Haven, had finally saved enough to rent a place on Savin Avenue, a short walk from the beach. Best of all was that Damien would have his own room for the first time . They had only been there a month when the fire occurred.

It was a special move up the ladder, so Bernardo financed all new furniture, including a Batman bedroom set for Damien with Avengers bedding. Since it was his first room, she also bought him a television, Nintendo Switch and air hockey table.

"He never had a room, so I went all out," said Bernardo,. "It was hard for me to see it (all destroyed) because he's been through so much."

Damien's hamster of about a year died in the fire, as well. The family also almost lost their beloved, deaf pitbull, Petey, who had to be revived by firefighters and was sent to an animal hospital for oxygen overnight. Bernardo said she is eternally grateful to the animal hospital for reducing her bill because of what she had gone through.

Bernardo, Damien and Petey are staying with Bernardo's mother temporarily, but the boy, who soon will start school in a special program at Boys & Girls Village, keeps asking to "go home." Bernardo said her son has severe ADHD, behavior and learning issues, which can make change extra upsetting.

Bernardo intended to buy renters' insurance as her landlord had suggested, especially since they weren't far from the beach where storms can cause damage, but she was busy during her first month in the new place and kept putting it off.

"I know now that I shouldn't have put it off. ... I didn't think I was going to experience this." Bernardo said. "Live and learn."

Bernardo said she's still responsible for paying off thousands of dollars for the financed furniture destroyed in the fire. While furniture, household items and clothes can be replaced, other items such as photographs and her great grandmother's jewelry box cannot.

Bernardo said although her sister is younger, Jackson always watches out for her.

"If anyone hurts me, she's at the door," Bernardo said of Jackson.

Bernardo is the type who doesn't like to ask for help or make people feel she's looking for a handout, she said, so she didn't even mention the fire to regular customers at the seafood restaurant where she's worked for 11 years.

The experience of the fire has humbled her, because so many people she barely knows have come forward to help her in many ways, including an old friend of her father's, who appeared out of nowhere and bought the mother and son a few days' worth of new clothes, as they lost all those, too.

She said all the love has been reassuring and comforting.

"I just feel more loved than I ever did," Jackson said. "It's a rough time and they're coming to me -- it's a good feeling."

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