Volunteer disaster responders with the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois responded to 23 fires from Monday, April 6 through today in the Chicago & Northern Illinois area in Blue Island, Bolingbrook, Naperville, Pembroke Township and more, with nine of these fires taking place in Chicago.
In the past week, the Red Cross assisted 73 individuals, including 46 adults and 27 children with temporary housing, food, clothing and comfort kits with toiletry items, information about recovery services and health and mental health services.
The American Red Cross responds to 3 to 4 home fires every day in Chicago and Northern Illinois, and our volunteers have been working to respond virtually to fires whenever possible during this difficult time. If you need assistance, please call our dispatch Line: 1-877 597-0747. You can take two easy steps to protect your home and loved ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and create a fire escape plan. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the risk of dying in a home fire in half.
Launch of Heroes Video Stories 4/14
In addition, this week the Red Cross will start to share the eleven video stories of its amazing 2020 Class of Heroes. For the first time in 18 years, the annual Red Cross Heroes Breakfast had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. However, starting 4/14 at 10 a.m. the Red Cross will start to unveil the first of the amazing video stories for each hero. Follow @chicagoredcross on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see these amazing stories of resilience. A new video story will launch every Tuesday and Thursday.
About the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at redcross.org/IL/chicago or visit us on Twitter @ChicagoRedCross.