Rachael Ray is one of the perkiest personalities on TV, but this summer she had a tragedy. She used the season premiere of her show to give fans an up close and personal look.
Rachael Ray: “This is the weirdest season opener show ever.”
It’s not the way Rachael Ray had planned it.
Rachael Ray: “My name is Rachael Ray, and this is my house.”
The 15th season premiere of her hit TV talk show, which airs right here on Channel 7, started with heartbreak.
Rachael Ray: “On August 9th, my house burned, 15 years of memories.”
The celebrity chef shared a first-hand account of her house catching fire in upstate New York.
Rachael Ray: “This man comes running through the backyard, he jumped off an ATV, and he’s in our backyard screaming, ‘Your roof is on fire! Your roof is on fire!'”
The fire was caused by something called creosote buildup, causing flames to ignite inside her chimney.
Those sparks flew onto the roof.
Rachael Ray: “I could hear the fire in the wall. I could hear electricity. I could hear danger.”
Because of the remote area and no nearby fire hydrants, firefighters imported water from half a mile away
John Cusimano, Rachael Ray’s husband: “Neither of us had any clothes at all other than what we were wearing, so we walked in, and there was devastation everywhere, ‘Oh, my God, like, there’s no house left.'”
Rachael Ray: “This was our bedroom, our library, and that was our bathroom and our dressing area.”
Years ago, Rachael became a board member of the Leary Firefighter Foundation, founded by actor Denis Leary. She donated money and learned what firefighters go through.
Denis Leary: “It’s funny how things work out. You were fighting a fire at your own house. We were training you.”
Rachael Ray: “Yeah, you really did. I can’t say that about any of my other friends. You’ve trained me for the best and the worst. I was so grateful that my life had brought me into your life, and my life had brought me into a closer place with first responders, so I understood the severity of the situation and to do exactly as I was told, to not push any limits and to just be safe.”
Despite the emotional ups and downs of losing almost everything, Rachael says, for now, she’s focusing on gratitude.
The season premiere was broadcast from Rachael’s guest house. She also talked about safe cooking at home and honoring firefighters.
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