PERINTON, N.Y. — Pines of Perinton managers have until Thursday to deliver their plan to bring the apartments up to code, the town says. The deadline comes a month after a massive fire destroyed a wing of the low-income housing complex. 

Some residents have lodged complaints about living conditions there. 

One man, Vietnam-era veteran Pat Nearty, lost everything in the fire. He was one of 65 people left without a home after the fire broke out in late January.

“The only thing I thought was 'everything’s gone,'" Nearty said. "I lost everything. My whole life was in that place."

“My discharge papers, my uniform, anything I had on my uniform, [was gone]."

The community mobilized in an effort to help. So many donations poured in that the town of Perinton had to lease an offsite location to hold them all.

“What blew my mind is not that we got to the point where they couldn’t take any more donations, but that that happened in about the first 48 hours,” said volunteer Rick Walker.

Walker is one of the dozens of volunteers who stepped forward to assist, doing everything from delivering food to packing donations in trash bins.

“It’s kind of a sense of what we are as a community," Walker said. "These 65 people that lost their homes in this fire, some of them lost everything. And what kind of defines us as a community is how we respond to things like this.”

The town says the Pines has managed to relocate most residents, including Nearty, into other units. That's where Walker and volunteer Kate Thon met him to deliver donations. Even all of Nearty's furniture has been donated.

To Walker, it’s a small gesture.

“I hope it makes it easier for them," Walker said. "And I hope it also reminds them that there are people out there who care about them.”

The generosity is not lost on Nearty. 

“They did great," he said. "It feels good, the people, all the volunteers and everything, they’ve been real good. It’s been great.”

Rebuilding won’t be easy, but thanks to all the support, Nearty knows everything will be OK.

“It’s a start. I just have to pick up some things here and there," said Nearty. "It’s going to take a little time to get back to normal.”

Managers of the property say they are already planning to invest $50 million in a phased renovation project that will deliver new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, roofs on every building, upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and access for those with disabilities in 26 units.

The town says there are currently 15 open complaints filed against the Pines of Perinton.

The Perinton Building and Codes Department is urging other residents to report any potential code violations they come across. To do that, call 585-223-0770 or email Building@Perinton.org.