Help is on the way for the more than 80 people struggling to find shelter and bare necessities after an apartment fire. Flames and smoke destroyed 32 units of the Terrace at Finley apartments in Irving.
Now neighbors are gathering support for those, who barely escaped with the clothes on their backs.
Keily Albarez, 9, saw her neighbors evacuated Saturday and said she had to do something. So she got her neighbors involved.
"We went to the doors, and knocked, and we told them to bring clothes and shoes so we can give to the people who don’t have houses and don’t have things," Albarez said.
Many of the fire victims include children, so Albarez made sure to include a large array of donations just for them.
"Clothes, backpacks, like things for school so they have. And shoes," she said. Ariana Moreno opened up her one-bedroom apartment last night to four fire victims.
"They stayed on the floor but we had enough blankets, and space for everybody so, so it was good," she said. Moreno wishes there is more she could've done to help.
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"They don’t have anywhere to sleep," she said as she began to cry. "That’s sad." Some people slept inside their vehicles, parked at Bear Creek Community Church.
Senior Pastor Dennis Webb said finding out about that broke his heart.
"It saddens me first of all, because had I known that they needed a place to sleep, we would’ve let them sleep here inside the church here," Webb said. "If some of them need to sleep tonight, we’ll do it. We’ll open up and let them sleep."
Webb is in the process of collecting donations and said he’s dedicating the next couple of days to provide clothes, food, and shelter to anyone who needs it.
"This is a prime opportunity for everybody to get involved with helping our neighbors. A neighbor is anybody who is in need," Webb said.
The church has multiple rooms including a large fellowship hall that are available for any sized donations. They'll also be serving hot meals here starting Sunday evening.
