Fundraiser Aids Business Owners Who Lost Everything In Pleasant St. Fire

WORCESTER, MA — A new fundraiser is aiming to support two business owners who lost their stores after a fire broke out in a Pleasant Street building.

The fire broke out in the evening on May 1 at 808 Pleasant St., the address of a 1930s single-story brick building that housed multiple local businesses. Two people were injured in the fire, and the structure was so badly damaged that it was razed in the hours after the fire.

The GoFundMe fundraiser is attempting to raise $25,000 for Worcester Flower Shop owners Edwin Ramirez and Julia Portillo and U-Home Decor owners Edison and Clareabel Quiñones. As of Thursday, the fundraiser had collected nearly $5,500.

The two families have lost all income from their business, with insurance likely only to cover a small portion of the losses, according to the fundraiser. The Worcester Flower Shop burned ahead of the busiest day of the year for florists — Mother's Day.

"Both store owners are distraught not only for their own losses, but also because they are currently unable to continue serving their loyal customers and neighborhood friends," the fundraiser page says.