Photo courtesy Hometown Source


Up in smoke

Dozens of Minnesota families were left homeless after a fire at a Burnsville apartment complex. They watched as everything they owned went up in smoke. Intangibles were consumed in the fire as well. Hopes and plans for the coming holiday; children's dreams.

In preparation for the holidays, Janice Cotton wrapped a doll for her 1-year-old daughter and a portable Nintendo video game system her 4-year-old son. On Monday, she watched the Christmas presents she had been hiding and everything else disappear in flames.

"Everything — we lost everything," she said.

More than 120 firefighters from six area departments fought the blaze for six hours in subzero wind chills after it was reported about 4 p.m. Monday.

Those firefighters were not the only heroes.


An anonymous donor contributed $1 million on Tuesday

The dozens of families left homeless after the fire had a present waiting for them on Tuesday — a $1 million donation.

The contribution averages more than $15,000 for each of the 64 households left homeless by Monday's blaze, which displaced nearly 200 people.

Jean Golden, a spokeswoman for the Goodman Group, said company chairman John Goodman set up a $50,000 fund at U.S. Bank after the fire. A business executive contributed an additional $50,000, and countless other donations also began flooding U.S. Bank locations across the metro area.


More heroes

More heroes, from the article at The Pioneer Press:

Shortly after the fire, individuals, organizations and businesses flooded the Burnsville High School gym with donations, including food, car seats, diapers and gift certificates. The high school girls basketball team was the first on the scene Monday night, said Ruth Dunn, spokeswoman for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District.

The team was playing a game in the gym when the fire started. Students sent text messages to each other asking for donations of toys and wrapping paper. Students donated more than 500 toys within hours. They stayed up until early Tuesday morning wrapping them.

The next day, the student council started a fund drive throughout school. By 10:30 a.m., they had raised more than $5,000. Teachers canceled health and physical education classes Tuesday so families could use the gym and volunteers could collect donations.

Fire victim Rhonda Hayes was waiting at the gym to return to her apartment Tuesday. She said she was touched by the outpouring of generosity.

"The way the community came together, it's enough to make you cry, more than not having a place to stay," she said. "Now you know you can depend on the community. We live in the right place."

Click here for the entire article at The Pioneer Press and for information on how to donate.

Amazingly there were no fatalities.

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