South Jersey rallies for Burlington fire victims

A fire that ripped through a 19th-century row of houses in Burlington City last week has sparked an outpouring of assistance for 20 displaced residents.

"This is just such a supportive community. We pulled 15 people together to help in a matter of hours," says Denise Hollingsworth, president of the Historic Yorkshire Alliance, a nonprofit coordinating grassroots efforts.

"Doesn't surprise me at all," says City Administrator David H. Ballard, who is Burlington born and raised.

"I love this town, and that feeling is shared."

That feeling indeed was palpable this week at the Hope Steam Fire Engine Company No. 1, near where High Street meets the Delaware River in the city's historic heart.

Several thousand items of clothing, household goods, toys, toiletries, and other essentials have been brought to the firehouse for use by the 20 adults and children who were driven from the four St. Mary Street homes on Friday.

Victims have moved in with family or friends, while others are still in temporary quarters. Some lost most, if not all, of their possessions.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but arson is not suspected, Ballard says.

"With all the donations coming to my house, we ran out of room," said volunteer Stefanie Whitfield, 27, who lives with her husband, Steven, "on the next block over" from the fire scene.

A senior clerk in the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Stefanie says she began collecting clothing and supplies the morning of the blaze.

Word-of-mouth and social media inspired a surge of support, and on Saturday the Whitfields accepted an offer from Hope Steam's Michael Lloyd to have the firehouse host the effort.

Although decommissioned, the fire company endures as a community organization that "has always been there for the people," Lloyd, 40, observes.

On the day I visit, volunteers are sorting and arranging items on rows of tables after sorting and labeling the inventory. Donations are still being accepted.

Even one of the fire victims comes in to make a donation - returning some pocketbooks she received after leaving behind her own as she fled.

"I just wanted to drop these off," says Christine Dragon, who arrives with her dog, Kimmie.

Dragon says she and her husband escaped the fire uninjured, but lost their 5-year-old cat, Moses.

The couple have found temporary housing, and were able to go back to their home briefly Tuesday. "And I found my pocketbook," Dragon says.

The fire erupted around 5 a.m. Friday and went to two alarms before it was brought under control about two hours later.

It spread quickly along the roofs, two of which collapsed after residents - who were awakened by their neighbors knocking on their doors - were evacuated.

Three minor injuries were reported. Sixteen people (including nine children) were among the 20 residents forced to flee their homes; they were given emergency assistance by the American Red Cross of Southwestern New Jersey.

Dragon's home on the west end of the row is one of at least two and possibly three houses that may be a total loss, according to city officials. Ballard says no decision has been made about the fate of the buildings.

"I've lived there for 40 of my 67 years," says Dragon, who works as a crossing guard in the city.

The loss of the houses would be a shame not only for residents, but for the neighborhood. The stately, 21/2-story brick structures are something of a landmark in Yorkshire, a city historic district that's a lively mix of the gracious and the gritty.

While "our immediate concern is for our neighbors" made homeless by the fire, longtime resident and alliance member Betty Wilson says the possibility that some of the buildings are beyond repair also is worrisome.

The historic district has about 500 buildings, says Wilson, a 26-year resident and a retired assistant commissioner of the state Department of Human Services.

Vacant sites "are more numerous than we'd like," she says.

"They're like missing teeth," says Phil Reeves, 50, a Yorkshire resident for 13 years.

"In a dense neighborhood like this, it's important to maintain the streetscape. Losing any of these homes is a detriment."

The urban density and quaint village-like ambience help make the neighborhood "so special," notes Hollingsworth, 56, an assistant New Jersey attorney general.

The alliance, she adds, has set up a "Fire Victim Support (NGO)" page on Facebook.

Back at Hope Steam, Andrea Mayer, 48, of Medford, arrives with clothing and other donations.

"I can't imagine losing everything," she says.

That's one reason why "I have to help," says Lloyd's wife, Courtney, 35.

"It's heartbreaking," she says. "And then I see how grateful the people are."

kriordan@phillynews.com

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