Celebrity chef Rachael Ray, her husband John Cusimano, mother Elsa Scuderi and dog Bella Boo were injured after a fireplace exploded in their home in upstate New York on Sunday night.
Ray spoke on social media Monday morning, thanking “the first to respond to locals for being kind and courteous and for saving what they can from our home.”
The celebrated 51-year-old cook added that her cell phone lost one of the pieces in the fireplace and exhibited it “through a team member.”
He added: “I’m grateful to my mom, to my husband, with my dog Array … that everything is fine. These days, we will all have to be grateful for what we have, not for what we have lost.”
Firefighters rushed to Lake Luzerne in Ray, New York, on Chuckwagon Trail, about an hour north of Albany, around 8 p.m. Sunday night. Sheriff Jim LaFarr told KRQE tv that there were no injuries.
“Thank you for the concern. Rachael, her husband and her dog Bella are safe,” Ray’s representative Charlie Dougiello told USA TODAY on a Sunday night. “Unfortunately, the space is broken and we don’t know to what extent.”
Photos from the scene show flames that envelop the space and rotate through the ceiling.
On Monday, state chimney investigators were at the scene assessing the potential cause.
William McGovern, a chimney research leader for the State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said it will probably be a week or two before the state takes a final ruling on the case.
McGovern said he had a quick estimate of the damage charge, but showed that significant damage had been done to the roof assembly, where the chimney would have been lit.
There is a large fireplace on the floor at the time, but the first floor and kitchen seem to be in good condition, firefighters said.
“We’ll treat this case like we would any fire,” McGovern said at a news convention Monday. you can read about possible causes. »
Ray was born near Glen Falls and graduated from Lake George High School in 1986. She has owned the space since 2013 and filmed episodes of the “Rachael Ray Show” in the house kitchen about the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There ain’t a lot of hair and make-up going on here, so it’s a different kind of intimacy that I think we’ve established with our viewers and honestly it feels good,” Ray told WNYT-TV in Albany on May 1, adding that she had upgraded the home internet to allow for Zoom broadcasts with the show’s guests.
Just hours before the fire, Ray shared Instagram images of elaborate dishes, adding submarines with a smoked filet mignon, which were enjoyed for dinner.
Contributor: Jon Campbell