People from the community are donating the goods and necessities residents lost in the Northwoods Apartment East fire in Middletown on Thursday.
A dog died and three people were treated for injuries after the fire at the apartment building on Town Colony Drive.
Many of the 22 families that lived in the burning units fled with only the clothes on their backs.
"We’ve been overwhelmed with donations. It’s been great. We’ve got a lot more coming," Joe Catalano, regional property manager for the company that owns the complex, Hampshire Property Assets, said.
Donations from all over have been pouring in for the complex’s displaced residents, who range in age from a one-month-old baby to senior citizens.
"I brought a toddler bed, some toddler clothing and some other clothing- jackets," Shannon Aucoin, who came from Meriden to drop off donations, said.
Thinking about what a fire like this would mean if it happened to her own family, Middletown mom, Heather Chandor, was moved to help. Within two hours of reading about what happened, she was dropping off her donation which included several baby items.
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"I have young children and I can imagine so many of these families now are just without anything. When I walked in I was amazed at how many things there were already," Chandor said.
While there’s a long road ahead for these residents who are now starting over, their community is reminding them they’re not alone.
"I think it’s more than we ever expected. I’ve been through four major fires and I’ve never seen a turnout like this. I think it’s nice that everybody can pull together and help these people out," Catalano said.
The complex will continue accepting donations through the weekend. Management said they’ve received adequate amounts of clothing but could use more food, cleaning supplies and household goods like dishware.
