Volunteer firefighter Ken Walker has recently seen some of humanity’s worst – and some of its best. Walker, who is the only black firefighter in the upstate New York city of North Tonawanda,

received a racist threat in his mailbox last week that said black firefighters didn’t belong on the town’s fire department and he needed to quit by week’s end or he’d “regret it.” Days

later, his neighbor – a former firefighter himself – would be accused of setting fire to his home, leaving the property uninhabitable. “I was devastated,” Walker, 28, tells PEOPLE of the

suspect. “This was someone that I trusted” “We were fellow firefighters. I trusted this guy with my life,” Walker says. “If I was on a call and something went wrong, he would be the one I

started. On Aug. 3, two days after receiving the racist letter, he was at his job at a local factory when he realized that he and his wife, also at work, had mistakenly left their apartment

unlocked. So Walker says he called his across-the-street neighbor, Matthew Jurado, to go and lock the door. Jurado, a 39-year-old former volunteer firefighter who was fired from his own

department in July, told him, “I’ll go over, I’ll check everything out,’ ” Walker recalls. “We fellow firefighters look after each other.” About 15 minutes later, Walker says, Jurado called

back. “He said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to come home, your house is on fire,’ ” Walker says. By the time Walker got home, the fire had destroyed everything inside the home that he shares with wife

Amanda and their two young children, who were with relatives at the time of the blaze. The family’s two cats were dead. The next night came another surprise: Walker watched a televised news

conference where North Tonawanda Detective Capt. Thomas Krantz announced that Jurado had been arrested and charged with arson after allegedly confessing to setting the fire at Walker’s home.

Krantz said Jurado, who is white, was allegedly “upset” with his fire department over his dismissal (reportedly because he lacked training). Jurado also allegedly told police he knew who

wrote the racist letter sent to Walker, but would not say who, Krantz said. Jurado worked at a different fire department than Walker, but Walker says the two have served side-by-side during

emergencies, as multiple departments would respond simultaneously to a scene. Jurado allegedly told police his actions were not racially motivated, and had to do with his firing, WGRZ

reports. According to the _Buffalo News_, Jurado tried to apply to Walker’s fire department through Walker, after being fired, but he was turned down. Police have not definitively linked the

racist note and the fire but are investigating a possible connection, according to the _Buffalo News_. “I felt betrayed,” Walker tells PEOPLE. “He’s been in my house, with my kids, my

animals, and for him to have a grudge against the department and take it out on me was uncalled for.” • _WANT TO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST CRIME COVERAGE? CLICK HERE TO GET BREAKING CRIME

NEWS, ONGOING TRIAL COVERAGE AND DETAILS OF INTRIGUING UNSOLVED CASES IN THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER._ HELPING HANDS Now Walker – staying with relatives with his wife and kids – is learning to

accept the unbidden comfort he’s received from all over the country. His fire station, the Gratwick Hose Fire Company, has rallied, sponsoring a donation drive Sunday that drew scores of

people who dropped off furniture, gift cards, diapers and toys – a warehouse full of items for Walker, his wife and their two young children to restart their lives. Walker’s extended family

of firefighters has also risen to the occasion. Shawn Moynihan, 20, a volunteer firefighter from another New York town – who had never met Walker until Sunday – started a GoFundMe page six

days ago that’s raised more than $149,000 from more than 3,800 donors. “He’s just a fellow firefighter and [Shawn] wanted to show him that people care and that we’re not racist, let him know

that there’s more people good than bad,” Moynihan’s father, Robert Moynihan, told _The Buffalo News_. Los Angeles and San Francisco firefighters, meanwhile, are treating Walker and his

family to an all-expenses paid week-long vacation in Venice Beach, California, fellow Gratwick Hose Fire Company volunteer Bob Brennan, who took the call, tells PEOPLE. A woman in Orlando,

Florida, has offered the Walkers a trip to Disney, so the family “can heal,” Brennan says. This kindness, from not just family and friends but countless strangers across the nation, is

“overwhelming,” Walker says. “I know people help out every now and then but I never thought it would be like this.” Patricia Walker, Ken’s stepmom who raised him since he was a young child,

has a hunch: She tells PEOPLE, “I hope the outpouring of the love is an example of how the world should react. It’s amazing how God works, taking a tragedy and turning it into a blessing.”

Still, despite the love, Ken has a “sadness” about him, Patricia says. “This guy was his friend. Ken is concerned about the safety of his family. If we are to believe Matt, there is someone

out there who is a culprit [who wrote the racist letter].” Jurado was freed from the Niagara County Jail Monday morning after a $50,000 bail bond was posted, a North Tonawanda criminal court

official confirmed to PEOPLE. Jurado has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree arson and is next due in court Thursday. PEOPLE has been unable to reach Jurado for comment. He will

be appointed an attorney at his next hearing, according to court officials. Walker tells PEOPLE he doesn’t know if he will be at court. Instead, he worries about taking care of his five

young children and is grateful for all the help that continues to flow his way. “It feels good,” Walker says. “The main thing for me is getting my family re-established. We get a chance to

start over, it gives us a chance to return to normal and try to get back to life as usual.”