Five years after Evergreen Court fire, emotions still high
Family and friends of Jared Lloyd feel little has changed in Rockland County since the deadly assisted living facility fire.
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Five years after the deadly fire at the Evergreen Court Assisted Living Facility in Spring Valley, the pain remains raw for the family and friends of volunteer firefighter Jared Lloyd.
Sabrail Davenport, Lloyd’s mother, says the loss of her son still feels as devastating as it did in 2021.
“The pain of what happened, how it happened, will never go away. My heart still has a hole in it,” she said.
Lloyd died on March 23, 2021, while rescuing residents from the burning facility. A resident, Oliver Hueston, also died in the fire.
Davenport spoke through tears on the phone, “My son was killed on this day and his body wasn't able to be found for hours,” she said.
Although she now lives hours away from Rockland County, Davenport says she worries about the safety of firefighters who continue to serve there. She points to building code violations as an ongoing issue.
“What are we doing for the first responders? The firefighters in Rockland County? Absolutely nothing has changed. And it breaks my heart,” she said.
Another volunteer firefighter, Eric Cich, who nearly died in the same fire, shared similar frustrations. In a message posted online, he wrote that “another year goes by that this date is burned into our minds... and yet nothing has changed in Rockland.”
The Sloatsburg Fire Department echoed those concerns in a Facebook post, stating that “code violations remain rampant throughout the county.”
In 2023, a rabbi and his son pleaded guilty to their role in starting the fire. Prosecutors said they used a blowtorch to clean the facility’s kitchen before Passover. Both were sentenced to probation and fines as part of a plea deal.
There are countless social media posts from the public and first responders remembering Lloyd's legacy today.
The 35-year-old left behind two sons.
