NEWS | City councilor steps up to help fire victims

By RANDY SEAVER | Editor

Biddeford City Councilor Abigail Woods is taking on a project to help a local family that was displaced by an April 23 fire on Hazel Street.

Although Woods represents Ward Two on the Biddeford City Council, she did not hesitate to begin helping even though Hazel Street is not part of her ward.

**FIRE CREWS** respond to an April 23 fire on Hazel Street. Photo | WCSH-TV, Facebook

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“I just felt as if I needed to help,” Woods said when asked why she was sharing a GoFundMe link on her own Facebook page.

In fact, Woods is now thinking about ways to possibly create a non-profit fund that could be used to help families impacted by home fires.

“In so many cases, many families don’t have renter’s insurance,” Woods said. “So, when they lose everything in a fire – they literally lose just about everything and have to rebuild from scratch.

Michelle Perkins’s family was displaced by the Hazel Street fire. She launched a GoFundMe page a few days later.

According to Woods, the Perkins family has three basic requests.

The family needs financial assistance to help pay for hotel and other expenses while they look for a new place to live – beyond the very temporary help offered by the Red Cross.

Woods said Perkins is also scrambling to find an affordable, two-bedroom apartment near the downtown area for no more than $1,850 per month.

And because they lost all of their possessions in the April 23 fire, they will also need to replace their basic household furnishings.

If you would like to help the Perkins family, please visit their GoFundMe link: