A local third-grader decided to use his birthday money to buy smoke detectors for fellow students in honor of two young classmates and their brother who were lost in a fire earlier this year.
Brett Saunders, a student at Herkimer Elementary School, asked for donations for the Herkimer Fire Department in lieu of birthday gifts.
“I got $250 and the Herkimer Fire Department and the Red Cross doubled that, so I got $500,” said Saunders.
Since it’s Fire Prevention Week, Saunders chose to use the money to purchase smoke detectors for his classmates and their families.
Three brothers, Michael DeCarlis, 7, Richard DeCarlis, 6, and Jackson DeCarlis, 1, were lost in house fire on East Steele Street in Herkimer in January. Both Michael and Richard attended Herkimer Elementary School.