Cheshire Resident Assisting Red Cross Operations In California Fires

CHESHIRE, CT — A Cheshire resident is among the four American Red Cross workers from Connecticut assisting with operations in southern California in the wake of the devastating wildfires.

Read more from the American Red Cross below:

As Californians cope with the trauma and massive destruction of the wildfires, more than 350 American Red Cross workers – four from Connecticut – are helping to ensure no one faces this heartbreaking time alone. We’re coordinating closely with our partners to provide food, shelter, emotional support and other critical services.

The four disaster responders from the Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region are supporting shelter operations, assisting with family reunification, and performing other essential functions. They hail from Cheshire, Lyme, Middletown, and West Hartford.

The threat isn’t over with dangerous fire weather conditions forecast for this week. People should remain vigilant, be prepared to evacuate and follow instructions from local officials.

RED CROSS RESPONSE Nearly 900 evacuees woke up Monday morning in Red Cross shelters, many of whom are struggling after losing everything.

Red Crossers from across the country are helping and truckloads of supplies like cots, blankets, water and relief items are available to support thousands of additional people if needed. Some of these volunteers are from the region and have also been impacted by these wildfires.

In shelters, disaster health volunteers are caring for minor injuries and replacing things like eyeglasses and medications. Disaster mental health workers are providing emotional support to those experiencing unimaginable loss.

WHERE TO GET HELP

• Some people are trying to find loved ones, and the Red Cross has received nearly 400 requests for help. If you need assistance locating a missing loved one because of the fires, we may be able to help. Visit redcross.org/findfamily or reach us at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Please provide as much detail as possible to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one.
• The Red Cross is providing assistance to help immediate family members travel to California after a death or the hospitalization of a loved one. If you need help, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) to be connected with the Family Travel Assistance Team. For this program, the Red Cross considers an immediate family member to be a parent, spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, grandparent or direct in-law.
• If you or a loved one needs help, reach out to the free 24/7 multilingual Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 for support.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: People are depending on the Red Cross for aid now and we need your support. Help people affected by the 2025 California Wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.

As the wildfires continue to burn and impact air quality, the number of Red Cross blood drive cancelations have grown impacting hundreds of lifesaving blood donations. To help ensure donor and staff safety, we’ve brought in air scrubbers and have N-95 masks available at our facilities. Where it is safe to do so, we encourage people to schedule a blood donation appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).