Kingsbridge day care owner describes frantic rescue during fire that filled home with smoke
Maria Capellan says close to a dozen children were inside the day care on West 234th Street when flames broke out next door, quickly filling the space with thick, black smoke.
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A Kingsbridge day care owner is opening the doors to her home for the first time since a fire tore through her apartment Tuesday, sharing the terrifying moments that nearly turned deadly for the children in her care.
Maria Capellan says close to a dozen children were inside the day care on West 234th Street when flames broke out next door, quickly filling the space with thick, black smoke.
“Look at the snack… I couldn’t even give them the snack that day,” Capellan said, walking through the damage — everything left in the same place since the day of the blaze.
The 23-year-old caretaker says what followed was a frantic race against time as smoke spread through hallways and rooms where the children were inside.
“I have eight babies there. It was my responsibility to make sure they were OK,” she said.
Capellan says she pushed through blinding smoke to get to the door and flag firefighters, determined to get help before it was too late.
“Even if I die in the process, they’re going to be OK,” she said.
While all of the children made it out safely, Capellan says the emotional toll has been overwhelming. She has not been able to sleep, haunted by the moment her “babies” were being checked by paramedics.
“I didn’t think I was going to see them,” she said.
On Friday, Capellan was reunited with two of her young students in an emotional moment filled with hugs and tears. One of those children, 4-year-old Wesley, is still processing what happened.
“The first thing he did was cry because he left his favorite stuffy behind,” his mother said. “He kept saying, ‘I want Baby Rider.’”
Capellan says she found the plush toy in the rubble, but it still smells of smoke and cannot be returned yet.
The road to recovery may be long. The Department of Health has deactivated Capellan’s day care license, and she says it could take months before she is able to reopen — if not longer. She fears the children she cares for may be forced to go elsewhere in the meantime.
“They’re going to find another day care and I’m not going to see them again,” she said.
Still, Capellan says she is determined to rebuild. A GoFundMe has been created to help Maria one day reopen her doors.
