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Red Cross drive to raise money for fire victims under wayYORK, Pa, Jan 16, 2011 (York Daily Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It was late in the evening of Nov. 7 that Makyle Briggs found himself standing outside in the cold, disoriented and confused. A few hours earlier, before going to bed, Makyle had celebrated his sixth birthday party. As he stood there and watched his grandmother's Wrightsville home yield to smoke and flame, he couldn't help but wonder about the presents he had just opened. "How do you explain that to a child?" asked his grandmother, Debra Bermudez. "How do you explain that to yourself?" Debra and her husband, Carlos Bermudez, lost almost everything -- including Makyle's gifts -- to the fire, which had started around 11 p.m. in the apartment next to them. Volunteers from the York-Adams Chapter of the American Red Cross were up with them before dawn, helping them take the painful steps that follow such disasters. "They provided shelter, clothes, blankets and a list of other resources ready to help us get back on our feet," Debra Bermudez said. Money to help fire victims is raised during the Red Cross fundraiser known as the Fire Hurts Campaign. This year, the campaign runs Jan. 9 through Feb. 13. The goal this year is to raise $80,000. All money raised stays in York and Adams counties. Money raised also helps replace things such as prescription glasses, shoes, coats and medicines, if possible. Not long after their fire, Debra was doing some shopping when she ran into her friend, Linda Thomas. On Nov. 6, Thomas, too, lost most of her possessions to a fire that started in a neighbor's apartment. It was about 1:10 a.m. and Thomas was just getting home from work. After hearing a loud bang, Thomas soon discovered that smoke was emanating from a shared wall. After evacuating her family, Thomas marveled at how fast the destruction spread. A young neighboring couple had to throw their three-week old baby from a second floor window into a neighbor's arms before being forced to jump for safety themselves. "You see it on the news," Thomas said. "But it's nothing compared to actually going through it." The Red Cross, which helped Thomas, too, is also prepared to help fire victims think of things they might forget to do after a fire, such as turning off utilities or canceling services such as phone, cable and internet. "In a matter of minutes, you can lose everything," Thomas said. The Red Cross, she said, "can help victims begin reclaiming their lives almost as quick." Red Cross 'Fire Hurts' campaign Through Thursday , the campaign has raised $32,564.67, or 41 percent of its $80,000 goal. To see more of the York Daily Record, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ydr.com. Copyright (c) 2011, York Daily Record, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |