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On Monday a fire blazed through a Chinatown apartment building in New York City, killing at least one, injuring 30 people and displacing over 200 residents. Among them is the family of Street Fighter player Chris Hu.

Hu is one of the best Ryu players in the United States, as well as a tournament commentator for Frame-Advantage.com.  The rise of streams has been a benefit to the fighting-game community, and Hu’s skills with the arcade stick and the microphone make video games as entertaining to watch as any sport event.              

 

[embed:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDiGaLiqXpM ]


Hu and his family have lost their savings in the fire, and the building itself has been marked for demolition.  The Shoryuken forums have set up a PayPal donation link with the proceeds going to Hu and his family. If you live in the Long Island area, several members are holding a fundraiser tournament on April 24.  You can also donate to the New York Red Cross, which is assisting all families affected by this tragedy. 

I never met Chris Hu, but I appreciate the effort guys like him do to bring the best players in the world to my laptop. If you have the money to spare, please help a person who has earned the respect of his community.     


Here is a link of Hu talking to a local ABC news station. It starts at 2:13.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7380805