Mountain Road Fire Update: Relief Efforts Underway, Fire Believed to be an Accident

Residents of the Mountain Road apartment building damaged by a fire on Monday are being helped in the short term by the Red Cross and in the long term by the Suffield Emergency Aid Association. Members of the Suffield community can help as well.

The fire, which has been ruled an accident by the Suffield Fire Department, displaced 13 occupants of the six apartments in the building at 202 Mountain Road. Ten of those residents are being housed in area hotels and helped with clothing and food needs by the Red Cross.

"The Red Cross is providing temporary lodging and financial assistance for emergency clothing and food needs," said Red Cross Farmington office Chief Communication Officer Paul Shipman in an e-mail. "A team of three Red Cross volunteers worked with the affected families."

The Red Cross also provided comfort kits to the displaced residents. The kits include personal care items that residents may have been forced to leave behind or were unrecoverable. The kits for children include stuffed toys.

The Suffield Emergency Aid Association (SEAA) is organizing long-term housing solutions for the displaced residents and is looking for help from members of the Suffield community.

SEAA Executive Director Janet Frechette said the apartment building may not be habitable for some time and her organization is looking for housing solutions.

"We have a lot of feelers out," she said, adding that there has not been any definite response yet. "We're trying to develop affordable, [sustainable] options."

SEAA has persued a variety of avenues for housing, from reaching out to the Housing Assistance Program in Enfield to searching Craigslist for local apartments for rent. Frechette has been in touch with Fire Marshal Mike Thibedeau, First Selectman Tom Frenaye and Selectwoman and local Realtor Joanne Sullivan to find solutions.

The organization has heard from about half of the 13 residents so far.

Frechette emphasized that some of the residents have children in the Suffield school system and SEAA is trying to help those families stay in Suffield to maintain educational continuity.

She said the families would need apartments with at least two bedrooms. Finding apartments of the size and price range they are seeking often depends on word of mouth.

"Housing is such a challenge," she said.

Frechette is encouraging Suffield residents with information about housing opportunities to contact the SEAA office at 860-668-1986.

"We'll try to connect them," Frechette said, noting that all the adult residents seeking housing in Suffield are fully employed.

Donations are also welcome. Although large items like furniture may not be able to be collected immediately, SEAA is looking for storage space and items can be moved to new housing for displaced residents as it is found and secured.

While the fire has been deemed accidental, the exact cause is still under investigation.