Despite Loss, Fire Victims Feel ‘Blessed”

For three days, Patrick Springman has lived with only the clothes on his back.

Still, the 32-year-old Racquet Club Apartments fire victim and his wife Audrey called themselves “blessed” as they browsed all the donated items being distributed to fire victims at the makeshift community center inside the Walter S Miller Elementary School on Oxford Valley Road in Middletown.

“We were one of the lucky ones,” Springman said while sorting through a pile of gently used winter coats.

“We lost all our clothes. That’s what we need the most,” he said.

There certainly was no shortage.

Community volunteers had so many donations that many items had to be stored outside the gym, on the school lawn and parking lot. Although delighted, Red Cross volunteers said they could barely cope.

“We’ve had 18 families come through here so far – getting what they need,” said one volunteer. In all, 41 families lost just about everything to the Friday night blaze.

One of those victims, Richard Amadia, 84, called the community generosity a “Godsend.”

“It’s a shock,” said Amadia, who lost everything.

Such a shock, in fact, that Amadia and his wife, 75, are pulling up stakes and moving to Florida, as soon as they straighten out their insurance claims.

“It’ll take about two weeks to straighten out,” he said while packing his vehicle with donated household goods.

Fire victim Siddherth Bhawalker said he and his wife Kalyani not only lost possessions, but also all documents, including their visa, passport, and IDs.

The couple, who were married only 8 months ago, are in the US on a temporary working visa.

“I had just finished dinner about 9pm,” Bhawalker recalled. “I asked my wife, ‘Is something burning? Something smells awful.’”

“In two minutes there was a knock on the door saying to get out,” he said. “We never went back.”

Members of Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick’s office were at Walter Miller Elementary on Monday night to help victims replace federal documents. State Rep. Frank Farry also spent much of the day helping his constituents get their affairs in order.

Middletown Township officials said they plan to stay at Walter Miller as long as needed.

“We’ll be here again tomorrow,” said one weary volunteer. “We have a lot of stuff still available.”