During the early morning of March 30, families in the Vista Drive apartment building in Edison Township’s Millbrook Village awoke to alerts of a fire burning in the building. The fire heavily damaged many of the apartments and has displaced all 72 residents of the 36-unit building.

Members of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team were at the scene and worked alongside Edison officials to help those affected. Soon, a reception center was opened at the Edison Township Senior Center nearby to bring the families inside, out of the chilly morning air.

Since many of the building’s residents have renter’s insurance that can help with temporary lodging needs, the families were then relocated to a local hotel. The Red Cross had lunch brought in for the families in the hotel lobby and volunteers were able to meet with households there and provide emergency financial assistance for things like food, clothing and other immediate needs. Red Cross caseworkers will continue to meet with affected families in the coming days.

One family at the hotel was happy to have Mango and Tofu – two adorable young parakeets – safely at their side. As she ran out of her apartment to escape the fire burning in the unit next to hers, their owner had scooped them out of their large birdcage and quickly placed them in a small gift bag. At the recreation center, a small pet carrier was made available for the pair. At the hotel, a member of the Middlesex County Animal Response Team generously supplied a bird cage, pet food, and bird toys to help make Mango and Tofu as comfortable as possible.

A Red Cross emergency response vehicle (ERV) was also available at the scene with coffee, water, lunch and snacks for first responders battling the fire.

YOU CAN HELP You can help people affected by disasters like home fires, floods, hurricanes and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.