One Of My Causes

January 3, 2004
Abington fire victims seek to reclaim lives: Little saved from apartment building PAYSHA STOCKTONThe Patriot Ledger
Almost a week after she lost her home and everything in it, Linda Richards can't stop thinking about her computer.
Full of poems and short stories she labored over for years, her hard drive and backup disks melted in the fire that destroyed her nine-unit apartment building at 262 Adams St. in Abington last Sunday.
Firefighters believe the fire started when a burning cigarette ignited a couch in a first-floor apartment just after 1 a.m.
‘‘I've just had a really bad week,'' said Richards, 35, now staying with her mother in Rockland.
‘‘None of us had insurance.''
It's almost unimaginable - watching everything you own become a soggy, charred mess, then witnessing your entire building disappear in a day.
The Adams Street apartments, a subdivided historic mansion, were immediately demolished Sunday night.
Abington Fire Chief Malcolm Whiting said he didn't want any of the 10 adult residents scavenging in the waterlogged, unstable structure.
Firefighters saved all they could, he said. But that was very little.
Richards got a bag of sooty clothes, a painting and some bathroom stuff.
A bunch of new furniture, which she hasn't even started paying for, was ruined.
‘‘What can I do now?'' she said. ‘‘I have nothing. We just have to start over again.''
Abington neighbors and local relief groups want to ease the burden.
A fund for the fire victims is set up at the North Abington Cooperative Bank.
Rachel Walls, 29, of Abington is also collecting donations.
Walls said she recently found herself low on money after she became ill and was laid off.
St. Vincent de Paul of Abington helped her with food, Christmas presents and rent, she said.
‘‘I promised I would do something for somebody in need,'' she said.
‘‘I drove by that fire and it was really an eye-opener.''
So far, Walls has received donations of items or cash from 20 local businesses. South Shore Family Church, at 90 North Ave., has also agreed to collect donated items.
The church will accept furniture, clothing and other donations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and after noon on Sunday.
The Red Cross in Brockton is helping Walls. The group visited the scene during the fire and has helped residents throughout the week.
Tobias Cowans, an assistant director, said the Red Cross encourages people to donate money or gift certificates.
Fire victims like new clothing and items, especially things they can pick out, he said.
‘‘It's a psychological thing - people want new clothing that fits,'' he said.
The Red Cross gave three residents vouchers for new eyeglasses, said Dawn Snow, a program manager.
Three residents who couldn't stay with family or friends were given hotel vouchers for two nights, she said.
Two women were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, including Doris Jackson, who turns 90 years old Saturday.
Jackson, whom firefighters rescued from her third-floor apartment by ladder, was released from Brockton Hospital Friday.
She planned to rest at her nephew's home in Weymouth and move into an Abington senior apartment next weekend.
‘‘It was kind of rough,'' she said of her trek down the fire ladder.
‘‘I got a few bruises. I'm pretty hoarse from hollering.''
Bill Mello, her nephew, said the donations will help Jackson, who lost her glasses and other necessities.
Richards agreed that her neighbors' generosity is giving her a much-needed lift. ‘‘It feels so good that people are helping.''
Donations
—To donate clothing or furniture, call Rachel Walls at 781-871-2604, or Pastor Patrick Purcell at 617-291-3808
— To donate to the local Red Cross, call 508-586-4790
— To donate to the fire victim fund, visit the North Abington Cooperative Bank, 6 Harrison Ave.
Paysha Stockton may be reached at pstockton@ledger.com.
Copyright 2004, 2009 Patriot Ledger, The (Quincy, MA), All Rights Reserved.