Donations pour in for Clinton apartment fire victims

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By Steven Martens | Friday, December 8, 2006 12:58 AM CST | () comments

CLINTON, Iowa — As fire investigators began sifting through the still-smoldering remains of a Clinton apartment building Thursday, donations were pouring in from the community to aid the families who lost their homes.

About $15,000 has been donated to the Gateway Chapter of the American Red Cross, executive director Dave Frett said. Ashford University in Clinton and JT Cullen Co. in Fulton, Ill., also made donations of $5,000 each to help the Deer Ridge Apartments residents.

In making its donation, Ashford officials noted the college’s historical ties to the 136-year-old building, which once served as the Mount St. Clare Academy, a girls school that was the predecessor to Mount St. Clare College and Ashford, and a nursing home operated by the Sisters of St. Francis.

Ashford President James Chitwood said two current Ashford students and one former student lived in the building and lost everything in Tuesday’s fire.

Much of the rest of the donated money has come from private citizens. Frett said one man came into the office and wrote a check for $1,000.

“We’ve had people walking in, giving $50 here, $100 there,” Frett said.

The Red Cross has assisted 80 people in connection to the fire, Frett said. About 60 lived in the 27-unit main building at Deer Ridge Apartments, which was destroyed. Residents in two smaller and newer apartment buildings also were evacuated on the night of the fire and received some assistance, Frett said.

He estimated it would cost about $52,000 to aid victims of the fire.

Donations of food, clothing and other items also have been pouring in to the Benevolent Society and the Salvation Army.

Capt. Shannon Thies of the Salvation Army said its Clinton office no longer is accepting clothes for the fire victims.

“People have been so generous that we really don’t have any room,” she said.

The Salvation Army still is accepting food, furniture and other household items.

Christmas toys for the children whose toys were destroyed in the fire are being accepted as part of Clinton’s Holiday Network program. Thies said toys for children of all ages are needed, but toys for boys and girls ages 10-12 are in particular demand.

Fire investigators from Clinton and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were searching through the debris Thursday, beginning at the northeast corner of the building, where they believe the fire originated in the basement or first floor, Clinton Fire Chief Mark Regenwether said.

A backhoe was being used to pull the debris apart, and curious onlookers still were driving slowly through the roads of Springdale Cemetery to glimpse the fire rubble.

Regenwether said a determination about the cause of the fire may be made today, but it is possible the exact cause may never be known.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.

How to help

Several agencies are accepting donations for victims of Tuesday’s fire at Deer Ridge Apartments in Clinton, Iowa.

Monetary donations may be made to Gateway Chapter of the American Red Cross by calling (563) 242-5223 or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 1565, 1220 13th Ave. N., Clinton, IA 52733.

Donations of food or household items may be made by contacting the Benevolent Society at (563) 243-4148 or the Salvation Army at (563) 242-4502.

Donations of toys for the children whose belongings were destroyed in the fire may be dropped off at the Salvation Army, 219 1st Ave., Clinton. Especially needed are toys for boys and girls ages 10-12.

On the Web

View a slide show of photos from the fire and the aftermath on www.qctimes.com.