Vernon, Red Cross coming to aid of families displaced by fire
Mar. 31—VERNON — The 29 residents displaced after a massive fire in downtown Rockville Monday have received assistance from the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, and the town is advocating on their behalf, Town Administrator and Emergency and Risk Management Director Michael Purcaro said.
The fire, which erupted in an apartment building at 80-82 Union St. and caused the roof to collapse, is still under investigation, Fire Marshal Daniel Wasilewski said this morning.
While officials initially said 26 residents were displaced, a family of three that was not home during the fire has since come forward, according to Jon Basso, senior director for disaster cycle services at the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross. He said the fire displaced a total of 10 families comprising 21 adults and eight children.
The town allowed the Red Cross to use a Police Department substation immediately after the fire as a meeting place to interview and provide assistance to the residents, Basso said. The organization provided families with care packages that included stuffed animals for children and toiletries, as well as funding for food, clothing, and lodging.
The Salvation Army was on the scene Monday night with a mobile canteen food truck to provide free food and drinks to the fire victims and firefighters, Purcaro said.
Purcaro said town officials have had conversations with the building's owner — Edwards Real Estate, a Vernon-based company that owns several properties in town — about its legal responsibility to immediately provide alternate housing to residents.
He said landlords typically place residents in other buildings they own or set up accounts to allow residents to stay in local hotels.
The help from the Red Cross is crucial, Purcaro said, to allow landlords a small window to find alternate housing for residents as they deal with the devastating property damage and work to restore their buildings.
Edwards Real Estate could not be reached for comment this morning.
Purcaro said such as fires "underscore the importance of renters to consider getting renters insurance," which helps people put their lives back together and find suitable, permanent, alternate housing.
Those who would like to donate to help the families can go to the website:
www.cornerstone-cares.org/fire-on-80-82-union-street
For updates and coverage of Vernon and Stafford, follow Anthony Branciforte on Twitter: @ABranciforte_JI, Facebook: Reporter Anthony Branciforte, and Instagram: @JI_Anthony1.
