HAMDEN, Conn. — A massive Monday night fire at a Hamden apartment complex displaced dozens of residents, and on Thursday they're still trying to get their bearings straight, and the town is doing its best to assist.
Thirty of the rooms at Hamden's Clarion Hotel & Suites are now occupied by those who were left homeless, but not uncared for.
What's left of the Warner Street apartments may soon be demolished, but one woman is thankful her four children were unharmed by the fire, which started in an apartment right night door to hers.
"I stepped out to go to the store and my son calls me and tells me 'mom I think there's a fire outside,'" said Deneane Silva of Hamden.
Her unit is among the 22 that were left uninhabitable Monday night, as they lost almost everything. Almost.
"I was able to salvage my kids father's ashes," Ms. Silva said, with a smile.
The ashes were in the box she clutched during the interview while talking about how appreciative she and her family are for clothing donations collected by Hamden's Keefe Community Center.
"They (Keefe Center) call you every day just to check up," said Silva. "They even came in (to the hotel) today just to check on us. So that was great."
The town's website lists specific items they are hoping to have donated, based on the age and gender of those displaced. And the donations are piling up!
"I have been very grateful for my life and I feel the pain of people who are going through their loss," said Roseann Ciochetto of Branford.
"I believe people are good because the pandemic has shown us that we can't do this by ourselves," said Sharon Jones the Program Manager of Hamden's Keefe Community Center.
And if cash is your way of showing support, the town is helping you achieve that using software designed for their building permits.
"It already interfaces with the town's website," said Mayor Lauren Garrett (D-Hamden). "So, we are using that software, set it up as a donation so that we can accept the donations directly on our website."
This Sunday, at Hamden’s Keefe Center, there’s going to be a Thanksgiving-style feast for those who were displaced by Monday’s apartment fire. Then Tuesday, at the Clarion Hotel & Suites, there will be distributing clothing and other necessities, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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