With more than 650,000 residents, Boston keeps Disaster Action Team volunteers busy all year. Sunday morning, Sept. 21 was exceptionally so with two large fires in the city in the Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods, displacing more than 50 residents within hours of each other.

DAT members responded to Centre St. in Dorchester, where more than 40 adults and children were outside two separate triple deckers at 6 a.m. The St. Joseph Rehabilitation and Nursing facility three blocks down the street, opened their doors for case work and provided breakfast for those affected. DAT supervisor Pam Bracken and DAT members Paul Hoy, Kevin Zhou, and Vincent Song worked with 11 families to offer support and next steps in the recovery process. Financial assistance was also given, as well as helping care for displaced pets.

Several pets were missing from the 11 different apartments, and residents were given information to contact local animal control for more information if their pets were found.

Two residents were hospitalized; one at the scene of the fire early Sunday morning, and the other from the reception center while case work was occurring.

Just two hours later, DAT member responded to a multi-unit building on Baird St. in Mattapan, where a two-alarm fire displaced residents from another triple decker.

Volunteers Isabel Stevens and Glenn Brack worked with the 16 residents who were displaced, assisting them with hotel locations, financial assistance and next-steps advice after a devastating home fire.

In both fires, City of Boston officials assisted on scene, providing information to residents and Red Cross volunteers.

A total of 57 residents were displaced Sunday, with major damage to all three buildings involved. Case work volunteers will continue to provide advice and services to the residents over the coming weeks as they resettle.

Volunteer Kevin Zhou summed up the morning well, that helping people displaced by home fires was a satisfying feeling he enjoyed. Kevin was an EMT while in college in Worcester. Now graduated and with a full-time job, he transitioned from an on-call duty officer position with the Red Cross to Disaster Action Team member. He said he enjoys the face-to-face interaction with people, knowing his help makes a difference in people's lives who are experiencing a tragic event.