GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – A Girard church is doing its part to help a family displaced by a fire over the weekend.
A few first-floor windows of the home on E. Prospect Street are now boarded up. A neighbor spotted a fire in the front room on Saturday and called 911.
Caller: “It looks like the family room is on fire and there’s smoke coming out of the house.”
Girard Fire Chief Jim Petruzzi says a pet lizard died in the fire, but a dog and five cats survived. He says most of the fire damage was contained in the front room, but the house had smoke damage throughout.
“Our investigators looked into it. After the incident, looks like this was electrical in nature and no foul play is suspected whatsoever,” Chief Petruzzi said.
The homeowner, her two young boys, her sister-in-law and her niece all lived at the home. They weren’t there when the fire started and currently can’t stay there.
“Sadly, she owns the home. She just paid it off a couple months ago with her hard work and strong ethic,” said Pastor Rhonda Gallagher with Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Pastor Gallagher says the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is helping the family but what they could really use right now is prayers.
“They need prayer, they need understanding because they feel they didn’t have insurance. That makes them feel stupid and unprotected and yet they have faith that they can move forward,” Pastor Gallagher said.
The church has paid for them to stay in a hotel through Monday.
Pastor Gallagher says the family doesn’t know how much of their belongings can be saved, but they are currently in need of clothes or vouchers for clothing and food. The two boys wear a size 6/7 and 7/8, and the niece wears a size 6.
“Sometimes, just the simplistic things that might help somebody that is out of their home and can’t go back right now. It’s going to take several months to fix the house,” Pastor Gallagher said.
Donations can be dropped off at the church.
