UPDATED: Tragic fire claims young Saranac family

SARANAC | The close-knit community in the small Hamlet of Redford was left numb with loss Saturday as a house fire claimed three young lives. The fire was called in at 3:33 a.m., according to the Clinton County Emergency Services Director Eric Day, who said the Saranac Volunteer Fire Department arrived to find the two-story house at 1349 Strackville Rd. in flames. The residence was home to Rob and Kara Velie. Their only son, Robbie, 21, lived there with his girlfriend, Katelynn "Katie" D. Damour, 23, and her son, Diesel Cook, 2. The young couple was expecting a baby boy. Robbie and his young family were unable to exit the building and perished. Others in the home were able to exit and survived. Day said the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services Fire Investigation Unit, the New York State Office of Fire Prevention & Control, and the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, as is protocol in all fatal fires. Fire and first response vehicles remained at the property well into the afternoon Saturday, Feb. 11. State Police were assisted by firefighters from Cadyville, Morrisville, Saranac, Ausable Forks, South Plattsburgh, Lyon Mountain, and Peru fire companies; Dannemora Fire and Rescue; and Clinton County Sheriff's Department, according to the police report. The community in Redford, and beyond, immediately rallied in the tragedy to help provide for the Velie family and any costs associated with funerary arrangements. Kara's relative, Anika Clausen, of Redford, organized a GoFundMe and her plea quickly reached out across the North Country. "This fundraiser will be used to help the families with the cost of funeral expenses and any other expenses that may arise. If you are unable to help monetarily, please share and say a prayer for our family and the family of Katie and Diesel," she wrote. In less than 12 hours, the fund had raised nearly $37,000 from a stunned and shaken community. The fund is online For the Cost of Funeral and Memorial Expenses: https://gofund.me/99ed699b. Tributes from all over the North Country began via the fundraiser and online, as friends, family and neighbors found words of condolence and prayer through their pain. Robbie's sister Kaelie Brien shared her anguish on social media. "My baby brother may be gone but he will always be in my heart. Words cannot describe how I feel. You had so much life to live and so many plans we made that we'll never get to." And to Katie, she said, "You made my brother so happy and in the end, I'm so glad that I can say we were becoming close and it truly breaks my heart that we don't have any more time together. Grayson will miss his Katie, and I will forever wonder what life would be like with the three of you and my unborn nephew." Surviving family members include Robbie's parents, Rob and Kara Velie, and his sisters; Diesel's father, Justin Cook, of Peru; and his grandmother, Angela DeSotelle Cook, and her life partner, Elvis Osher; and Katie's mother, Angela Daoust, and two young brothers. Robbie, a former standout Saranac High School football player, worked construction for several years prior to beginning a career at Carpenter Bros. in Plattsburgh. He was an avid outdoorsman and especially enjoyed hunting, fishing, construction work, operating equipment, and driving his father's jeep. Katie graduated from Chateauguay Central School in 2019 and was remembered for her dedication to Diesel, family, and her passion for the outdoors, beach and travel. The couple had just celebrated a baby reveal for their unborn son, Oliver Robert, the evening before. Diesel loved dinosaurs, tractors, getting greasy and dirty, kinetic sand, and the color red. Calling hours will be held Friday, Feb. 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. at St. Augustine's Church in Peru. A prayer will be offered at the conclusion of the wake at 5 p.m. A dinner reception will then be held at the Saranac American Legion Post 1618 at 275 Wilson Road in Saranac for friends and family to gather and share stories while honoring and remembering them. Diesel's paternal family will hold an additional private service at a later date.

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UPDATED: Tragic fire claims young Saranac family

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