Fire Damages Ridgewood Coach's Home, Fundraiser Starts

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Ridgewood home that suffered a fire earlier this month — prompting a lesson from the Ridgewood Fire Department — was the home of a local coach and teacher. Now friends are seeking funds to help them rebuild.

"Last week, the Patch reported a house fire on Arcadia Road the morning of May 6," the fundraiser notes. "What the article did not include is that this was the home of beloved Ridgewood football and lacrosse coach and mentor, Ernesto 'Mickey' Santiago, his wife Marivic, and their three sons.'"

One of the children was home studying for his MCATs during the "traumatic event," the fundraiser notes. "Thankfully, they were able to evacuate safely."

But the family is now living in a hotel while they wait 12-24 months for their home to be rebuilt, the fundraiser notes.

"They will face countless insurance negotiations, financial stress, and the emotional challenge of rebuilding not just a house, but the place where their family built a lifetime of memories," states the page.

As reported in Patch, the homeowner shut the door to the basement, which prevented the fire from being even worse.

The fundraiser had amassed more than $33,000 as of Wednesday.

"Mickey has always been there for his family, but through decades of coaching and volunteering," the fundraiser notes, "he has also been there for countless young people and families throughout Ridgewood."

The fundraiser is here.