I lost my little girl. Thank you for being there. Tom Kriton embraces firefighter Greg Fedorczyk at Tuesdays meeting to honor the members of the Ashley Fire Department who battled the blaze at his Hanover Township home on Jan. 10.
Ashley Mayor Richard Oravic on Tuesday awards Chief Joe McGlynn Jr., Assistant Chief Don Sipple, Lt. Joe McGlynn and firefighters Dave Fedorczyk and Gary Fedorczyk for their efforts to save Angela Kriton during a Jan. 10 fire. Also recognized but not present was Assistant Chief Wesley Saltz.
ASHLEY Tom Kriton sniffed and his eyes swelled up.
Ashley Mayor Richard Oravic handed plaques to five firefighters; three received medals. A sixth firefighter was unable to attend.
As Chief Joe McGlynn made his closing remarks at Tuesdays meeting, the crowd stood and applauded the firefighters for their valor; for running into a blazing house in an attempt to save a 4-year-old girls life. Everyone took their seat except for Kriton.
My name is Tom and I want to thank you for doing the best you could to save my daughter.
He walked around the table where the borough council sat, his face red with grief. He gave a stiff embrace with a loud slap on the back to each of the Ashley firefighters who went into the building and found his daughter dead.
I lost my girl. Thank you for being there. I dont know what else to say. He left the room and continued to weep.
Kriton hasnt left the house much since the Jan. 10 fire claimed 4-year-old Angelas life.
Nearly a month removed from the loss of his daughter he hasnt been able to return to work. Hes the owner of New Yorks Finest concession stands.
He cries every time he sits down to write one of the 300 thank-you cards to people who sent money or came to his daughters wake.
It was tough for him to come to Tuesdays meeting and to see the people who risked their lives for his family, but he had to thank someone.
I just wanted to really thank them. As far as the firefighters go, they have families and wives too. They did the best they could. I just wish the outcome was different and my daughter was still with me.
In that early January morning, Lt. Joseph McGlynn, 23, and firefighters Dave Fedorczyk, 35, and Gary Fedorczyk, 29, attempted to save Angela. Her family had been evacuated, but she remained in the house as it burned.
I was going through one of the windows and Gary and Joe were going through another window, Dave Fedorczyk said after Tuesdays brief ceremony. When I went in, there was a bed pushed up against the window, so I was crawling along on a bed.
Joe asked me if I felt the floor and I said, yeah. Thats when I found the little girl.
They carried her body out of the burning house. The smoke claimed her.
The Fedorczyk brothers each have two children. In the Kritons house there was no time to pause and think about their own families. It could have easily been their homes. It could have been their children.
In that moment youre only reacting, said Dave Fedorczyk who has a 5-year-old son and a 21-month-old daughter. That doesnt hit you until you get home and take a shower and actually sit down and think about it.
Hardened firefighters arent prone to public emotion. But they were all on the verge when Kriton hugged them.
I dont know if I could get up there and do that, said Dave Fedorczyk.
I couldn't either, added Gary Fedorczyk, the father of a 6-year-old daughter and a 21-month-old son.
I give that guy a lot of credit for doing that.
Kriton said the easiest thing would be to give up, but he cant. A devout Catholic, he said losing a daughter the way he did makes him question his faith. He often asks, Why not me instead? He would gladly trade places with Angela.
I wake up each day and I have three children that need a father, he said. I have three kids and I have no choice. The support from this community, thats whats getting us through.
Kriton, his wife, Carol, and their children, Kayla, 11, Thomas, 8, and Marcus, 1, are living in a temporary rental house in Wilkes-Barre. He hopes they can knock down their old Hanover Township house at 249 Ridge St. and rebuild.
We were happy there. Its a nice neighborhood, and thats where my daughter lived.
Six members of the Ashley Fire Department were recognized by the Ashley borough council for their service during the Jan. 10 fire that took the life of 4-year-old Angela Kriton:
Chief Joe McGlynn Jr.
Assistant Chief Donald Sipple
Assistant Chief Wesley Saltz
Lt. Joseph McGlynn
Firefighter Dave Fedorczyk
Firefighter Gary Fedorczyk
The last three firefighters also received a Saint Florian medal for entering the house during the fire.
