Firefighters Saved Treasured Belongings; Bergen Co. Couple Gives Back

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — After watching their River Edge home go up in flames on the Fourth of July, Erin and Lou Zaccaro say they're forever grateful to the firefighters who not only battled a devastating five-alarm blaze, but also did everything they could to save the family's treasured belongings.

Now, the couple is giving back.

The Zaccaros have launched a GoFundMe campaign, "Hydration for Heroes," to provide bottled water for firefighters across Bergen County and beyond after learning that many departments must purchase water themselves or rely on already-stretched operating budgets to keep crews hydrated during long emergency responses.

The idea was born from the response to the July 4 fire that destroyed the couple's home after storm-downed live electrical wires ignited multiple houses.

As firefighters from the River Edge, Oradell, New Milford, Hackensack, Paramus and Teaneck fire departments worked for hours to knock down the blaze, they also made repeated efforts to salvage whatever they could from inside the Zaccaros' home.

According to the couple's fundraiser, firefighters carried out family keepsakes and other belongings whenever it was safe to do so, preserving items that otherwise would have been lost forever. While the home itself could not be saved, those acts of compassion left a lasting impression on the family.

"The next morning, walking the wreckage, something else caught my eye: over a hundred empty water bottles scattered across the property. And our family portraits, not shattered on the floor, but carefully tucked under the bed covers upstairs, protected from the flames below," the Zaccaro family said. "Firefighters from five towns responded that night. In the middle of saving our home, they still took the time to protect what mattered most to us."

Wanting to thank the first responders in a meaningful way, the Zaccaros created the campaign to help ensure firefighters responding to future emergencies have one less thing to worry about.

Their goal is to donate 7,426 cases of bottled water—a symbolic number representing the date of the fire, 7/4/26—to the departments that answer calls throughout the region.

"Hydration for Heroes" aims to keep bottled water readily available at fire scenes, particularly during lengthy incidents and extreme summer heat, without forcing departments to absorb the cost themselves.

For the Zaccaros, the fundraiser is about more than water. It's a way to recognize the firefighters who spent hours protecting neighboring homes, risking their own safety and rescuing the irreplaceable items that helped preserve pieces of their family's life after the fire.

Residents interested in supporting the effort can donate through the Hydration for Heroes GoFundMe campaign, which has raised more than $9,000 as of Friday morning.