ADAM MILLER
New York Post Online

The Post's Heroes Fund, established for the families of the three firefighters who died in the Father's Day tragedy, continued to grow yesterday as donation boxes were set up at six small businesses in the East Village.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association, which is administering The Astoria Fire: Post Heroes Fund, reported that it had collected an additional $80,000, bringing the total to $455,000.

Courtesy NY Post

Mike Ionescu, owner of Village Views Realty, at 223 E. 10th St., reached into his wallet to donate $100 to the fund - and then enlisted five other area merchants to join him in setting up collection boxes at their businesses.

The other five are Bendix Diner East, at 167 First Ave.; Bon Vivant Diner, at 820 Broadway; Veniero Anthony Pastries, at 342 E. 11th St.; Something Sweet, at 177 First Ave.; and Ferrucci's Gourmet Market, at 171 First Ave.

Ionescu got the boxes from The Wiz, which is spearheading the collection drive at its 42 metro-area stores.

The fund was set up to help the grief-stricken widows and children of John Downing, Brian Fahey and Harry Ford, who lost their lives June 17 while battling a five-alarm fire at a hardware store in Astoria, Queens.

"My heart just goes out to the families of the three firefighters killed," said Ionescu, 43.

"Firefighters put their lives on the line every day for us. They are true heroes."

Also yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution, introduced by New York Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, honoring Downing, Fahey and Ford.

Send checks to:

The Astoria Fire: Post Heroes Fund
c/o Uniformed Firefighters Association
204 East 23rd Street
5th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10010

The Astoria Fire: Post Heroes Fund will be administered by the Uniformed Firefighters Association.