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A Dunedin resident, once praised as a hero for his lifesaving efforts, is now grappling with a personal tragedy after a fire ravaged his family home earlier this week.
Steve Korossy, who played a crucial role in saving an elderly man from a house fire last October, is facing a loss of his own as flames nearly destroyed his residence in Dunedin.
The home, which has been in the family for 45 years, belongs to Korossy’s aunt. Currently, Korossy shares the house with his 29-year-old daughter and their three dogs.
On Monday morning, just after 10:30, Korossy was performing some routine maintenance outside the house when he realized something was amiss.
“I was working in the area and glanced over my shoulder to see flames erupting from the roof,” Korossy recounted.
Korossy said immediately grabbed a ladder and a metal hose.
“Started putting water down into the hole in the roof where the flames were coming out of. That was with my right hand. With my left hand, I was calling 911,” he said.
The former Ohio police officer and current football coach for the Dunedin Highlanders was able to safely rescue his three dogs from the home. His daughter was not home at the time.
Now, he finds himself searching for meaning in the reversal of roles from the incident he assisted in almost six months ago.
“My head swirls… what’s the purpose, what goes on that we don’t understand, what’s the meaning — why, why, why. I can’t explain it,” he said.
Instead of focusing on those questions, members of the Dunedin community are rallying around him — organizing support efforts to help rebuild the home he shares with his daughter and elderly aunt.
“He just has a heart of gold,” said Niki Becker, co-founder of the vegan restaurant chain ‘The Green Table.’
Becker said Korossy has long supported local businesses and her restaurant’s mission, adding that the community is now stepping up to return that support.
“We’re going to donate a percentage of our sales,” Becker said. “I’m hoping to be able to rally some of the other vegan communities and restaurants and maybe hold some type of an event for him with the Dunedin Highlanders football team, with my food truck ‘The Green Table Tour.”
Korossy said the outpouring of support has meant everything during an overwhelming time.
“I’m the one that always takes everything on my shoulders,” he said through tears.
As the community works to help rebuild what was lost, Korossy said even the smallest contributions could make a difference in restoring the home as it does not have insurance due to plans being cost prohibitive for his aunt.