Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

In the aftermath of the Ocean View fire I would like to first thank the firefighters, EMTs and police from all the Island towns that fought the blaze.

I was praying for your safe protection during the blaze. I was relieved to hear there were no major injuries

We are so fortunate to have such dedicated men and women who volunteer their time and energy to protect us all. God bless you.

I want to thank all my friends, customers, family and people I don’t even know, sending along their concerns and heartfelt wishes on our loss. I won’t be able to thank you all personally but please know, every message was read and I can’t tell you how touching and comforting it was to receive them.

The shock is still real and will take awhile to get over but your support will help moving forward easier. We live in such a great community and for that I am grateful to all.

To my employees, I am so sorry for the shock you must of all felt as I did when you received the news. The Ocean View is like a community in itself. As I always say you are part of my family and family take care of one another. Please know, you will not be alone and will be taken care of. We will get through this together.

I have spoken to our landlord and he has made a commitment to work on getting the Ocean View rebuilt as quickly as possible serving our great customers, friends and our community at large once more.

Again, I am humbled by all the support and blessed to be part of such a great Island community.

Michael J. Santoro

Oak Bluffs