Charities mobilize for Downers Grove fire victims
Community organizations are mobilizing to help the victims of a Monday morning fire that severely damaged a 16-unit apartment complex in Downers Grove and left more than 30 residents temporarily homeless.
People's Resource Center in Wheaton, Saret Charitable Fund in Glen Ellyn, and St. Vincent DePaul Society in Addison, Joliet and West Chicago are coordinating efforts to help 33 people evacuated from the two-story building. Many were forced to leave all their belongings behind.
"A lot of them got out of there with just a purse and the clothes on their backs," Downers Grove Fire Department spokeswoman Marsha Giesler said.
She said the residents were evacuated to a nearby gymnasium where they met with officials from the American Red Cross. Some families were put up in a Lombard hotel Monday night and Tuesday, while the remaining residents moved into vacant units in a nearby apartment complex.
Giesler said she is unsure how much longer the families can stay there, and the fire department is working with a church to help them find new living arrangements.
Meanwhile, the staffs at area social service organizations know the families will need help for weeks to come. People's Resource Center is opening its food pantry and clothes closet to the fire victims.
Saret aims to collect items for immediate needs, such as shoes, bedding, furniture, household goods, soaps and towels. The group also is accepting financial donations that can be applied for gas cards, food cards and big-box store gift cards.
"When you lose everything, you sort of need to restock everything no matter where you are - whether these families end up back in their homes or a new place," said People's Resource Center's Melissa Travis.
The families' apartments likely will be uninhabitable for some time because the roof on the south end of their building collapsed onto the second floor. Giesler said there was even more damage on the north side, where the entire building was burned out and open.
The cause of the fire at the Downers Belmont Apartment complex, in the 4900 block of Belmont Road, is still undetermined, but investigators confirmed Tuesday flames began in the attic just after midnight Monday.
They also consulted the National Lightning Detection Network, which tracks lightning strikes, to confirm lightning did not cause the blaze, Giesler said.
"They sifted through a lot of rubble to find the cause, but this will have to go down in the books as undetermined," she said.
Firefighters arrived to find the building engulfed in flames and smoke, but everyone was evacuated without injury. Giesler said the blaze spread rapidly and 25 area departments were called to assist. A damage estimate wasn't yet available Tuesday.
Once residents begin to reestablish a home base, all three locations of the St Vincent De Paul Society will help those who need furniture and home goods. Organizers said their supply of furniture is low and donations are welcome. Donors can arrange a pickup by calling (630) 231-4658.
Fire victims who lost all their belongings can call St Joseph and St. Mary Catholic Churches, both in Downers Grove, at (630) 964-0216 and (630) 969-1063 respectively. Volunteers at the churches will assess the families' needs and put them in touch with the appropriate St Vincent De Paul site.
Donated goods and household items can be dropped off at Saret's Baker Hill location, 866 Roosevelt Road, or its new location at 449 Main St., both in Glen Ellyn. People donating household goods should note the contents inside each box, to help make distribution easier. For details, call Saret at (630) 790-4600 or (630) 842-8876.