The American Red Cross is helping families recover after a four-alarm fire displaced close to 100 people on South Third Street in Oxford, Chester County overnight Sept. 13th into 14th. The fire essentially destroyed a city block that also included storefront businesses and a warehouse.

Along with our community partners, more than 30 Red Cross disaster workers mobilized to open a shelter at Penn’s Grove Middle School around 7 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14. Fifty-one people were served by the shelter, with 37 spending the night Thursday into Friday.

In an extraordinary and generous show of support, the Oxford and Chester County communities stepped up to care for their neighbors who lost everything. The non-profit organization Neighborhood Services Center provided funding to move all displaced residents into hotel rooms on Friday, Sept. 15 to help families begin their recovery. The organization also is working with the families to find them more permanent housing solutions, with several already in their new homes.

The Red Cross provided emergency financial assistance to all those impacted by the fire, which helps them replace critical items that were destroyed or lost. Our Integrated Care and Condolence Team (ICCT), which is comprised of disaster health, mental health and spiritual care volunteers, and our Recovery team continue to support impacted families.

Many government, non-profit and community organizations are playing a role in that recovery. Chester County Office of Emergency Management is our primary partner throughout the operation. Alongside Neighborhood Services Center, LCH Health and Community Services is providing ongoing Spanish translation services and bilingual health and mental health services. SILO (Serving. Inspiring. Loving. Others.) is collecting and providing clothing, personal care and household items that families need as they recover. The Lighthouse Youth Center solicited food donations for the shelter and hosted a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) on Sept. 21.

The Oxford School District generously donated lunch and dinner while the shelter was in operation, and the district’s police department provided 24/7 security. At the middle school, the district allowed us to use the gymnasium, cafeteria and auditorium, which they set up for movies to entertain the children staying there. Local elected leaders, including U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, PA Rep. John Lawrence and PA Sen. Carolyn Comitta also offered their support.

To date, the Red Cross provided financial support and casework for 30 families, 88 people total.

Help people affected by disasters like home fires, flooding, wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.