By Monir Khilla—

When Corey Brumfield, 20, Media Arts major and Theater minor, from Jersey City, woke up at 4 a.m. on Easter morning, there was a slight smell of smoke in the air. He figured someone was probably cooking and he continued about his business. However, 15 minutes later, the smell had gotten stronger and it now felt like something was burning.

Brumfield got up and opened the door. He noticed a dark and smokey hallway.

“No one was up and you could tell the difference,” said Brumfield.

Brumfield didn’t know it was a fire until two boys in the building told him that the heater in the basement had caught on fire. Brumfield’s parents had called the fire department, who took approximately 10 minutes to arrive.

As his parents, his younger siblings, and Brumfield were standing outside on a cold Easter morning, the fire had only spread to two houses. By the time the fire department put out the flames, a total of ten homes and dozens of lives were ruined. Brumfield had lost his home of about four years.

According to Brumfield, “The wood was so old, so the buildings burned quicker. The fire burned for over three hours. There were maybe two or three houses at first, but in the end it was ten.”

The next few days were tumultuous for Brumfield and his family.

“The Red Cross gave us flyers for the Howard Johnson for a night. We spent the week with our cousins and aunts at Coney Island,” said Brumfield.

Brumfield came back to Jersey City and he and his family are currently staying at a residence owned by a friend. The residence is under renovations.

The New Jersey City University campus community reacted to the fire in one of the ways they knew they could help: A clothing drive was set up to help the victims of the fire. The fire was on Claremont Avenue, just a few blocks away from the university.

“I did notice the clothes drive on the first floor,” said Brumfield. “We’ve gone through a lot of clothes. We keep the ones that fit and donate the others to the church that’s helping out the families.”

Even though Brumfield lost his laptops, clothes, and devices, he is most worried about his education.

“I’ve been more worried about replacing the stuff I had for classes, like books and supplies,” said Brumfield.

The outpouring of support didn’t surprise Brumfield. “Now that I think about it, since the fire was two blocks away, I’m not really surprised [by the support].”

Brumfield jokes that the biggest difference now, than before the fire, is the amount of time he spends on campus. He spends a good majority of the day in the library or at the computer lab trying to catch up on homework.

Brumfield did have this message to the entire NJCU community: “I would like to say thank you. Not just for me, but because you took time out of your busy schedule to help the families of the fire.”

In looking to the future, Brumfield remains optimistic and sees the fire as a good thing.

“I think fire is a purifying element, it burns away the old and makes way for the new.”