According to organizers, the relief effort to help families that were displaced by last week’s fire on Brackett Street has received wide and ‘overwhelming support” from the community.
Jessica Johnson, a downtown business owner and former city council candidate, has been coordinating the effort to help provide essential items and clothing for people who “lost everything” during Wednesday’s fire.
“On the one hand, it’s heartbreaking to hear the stories of total loss, on the other hand, it is so heartwarming to see the response,” Johnson said. “This is an awesome community, and people from all over are pitching in and doing whatever they can to help.”
On Monday evening, Johnson coordinated a drop-off event at the Academy of Dance on Elm Street in Biddeford. There, volunteers spent several hours sorting through piles of donated clothing and small household furnishings.
“It was so amazing that Amanda and Nate Braley were willing to let us use their business space to get things organized,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, four roommates and a family of six were living in the house that was destroyed by the fire at 10 Brackett Street.
But Johnson said a mother and her infant who were living next door were also displaced because of water, smoke and fire damage to their apartment at 12 Brackett Street.
Johnson said representatives of the American Red Cross were on the scene almost immediately and helped the family with emergency funding via donated debit cards.
Johnson says she has set up a GoFund Me account to help raise money for the displaced families. A link to that account can be found on the Biddeford Maine Facebook group, where she is an administrator.
During a brief interview Monday morning, Fire Chief Lawrence Best said he was proud of his department and impressed by the coordinated response of out-of-town firefighters who responded to the call.
“These are always tough situations.” Best said. “Our crews and those who responded from other departments did an extraordinary job and demonstrated sheer professionalism and commitment.”
According to Best, the apartment building next door suffered damage from wind-driven fire. No occupants from either building next door were injured, he said.
Two Firefighters were transported to the hospital due to heat exhaustion and were later released.
Eleven fire companies from surrounding communities responded to the scene. Four other communities, including Portland, South Portland, Waterboro and Hollis responded to Biddeford to cover other emergencies in the city.
The State Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating the fire and no cause has yet been determined.
Johnson said any leftover funds from the relief effort’s fundraising campaign will be donated to the non-profit Pillars of Pride organization, an extension of the Biddeford Education Foundation,, which is a 501(c)(3) organization.
————————-
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
NEVER MISS ANOTHER UPDATE! Subscribe for free today!
.
THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE 