The celebrity chef, her husband John Cusimano, and the family’s dog were in their Lake Luzerne house on Sunday, Aug. 9, when the fire began. It left the main house on the property with extensive damage.
Fire crews from across the region responded to the Chuckwagon Drive home shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, working for several hours until the fire was knocked down. The flames completely engulfed the home and could be seen shooting through the roof of the home in a video posted online.
Ray had been filming “The Rachael Ray Show” from her home since the novel coronavirus. (COVID-19) pandemic broke out five months ago in New York.
All three were able to evacuate from the home safely, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
"Rachael, her husband John and their dog Bella are safe," a statement released on Ray’s behalf said. "Their home was unfortunately damaged and we are in the process of accessing to what extent. I am happy to provide updates as I know.”
A day after the fire, on Monday, Aug. 10, Ray took to Twitter to assure her fans that she and her family were unharmed, though she did suffer one casualty: her phone.
“Thank you to our local first responders for being kind and gracious and saving what they could of our home. Grateful that my mom, my husband, my dog… we’re all okay. These are the days we all have to be grateful for what we have, not what we’ve lost,” she posted.
“…I *did* lose my phone (posting through a team member) Thank you for all the well wishes, concern and outreach, but can’t return texts and calls at the moment…!”
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