SWANSEA — Few would describe the 36 families who lost just about everything in the Four Winds fire as lucky.

That is how one family of who lived in Building 15 described themselves.

“We were lucky,” said 32-year-old Nathan Martin. He held his 3-year-old son, Duncan, on his hip inside a formerly empty store at Swansea Mall, which since Sunday has been serving as the Firefighter Wives Association donation center.

Martin, Duncan and his mother, Marie Meneses, 33, were in Boston celebrating the New Year when a Pontiac Grand Prix slammed into their apartment building at about 9:40 a.m., severing a main natural gas line in a utility room and sparking a fire that took firefighters over a day to fully extinguish.

The family learned their Four Winds apartment was engulfed in flames via telephone, after a friend called and said a "massive cloud of smoke" was hovering over the complex, said Martin.

The couple said their apartment unit was adjacent to the utility room where the fire began. If they had been home, Martin said “it would have been just run, with everything you’ve got, everything you can grab.”

The family returned to Fall River on New Year's day around lunch time, said Meneses, and found parts of rubber window seals on Martin’s car, still parked in the apartment parking lot,  melted.

“A few spots had melted and deformed. It’s just ridiculous. I totally understand why seven firefighters had to go to the hospital,” he said.

They waited to hear whether, and when, they’d be allowed to back inside to see what if any of their belongings they could salvage. That time never came.

“We thought we’d be able to walk right back in at midnight, but no — it just reignited. It was like a monster,” said Martin. The building was demolished so firefighters could reach smoldering hotspots and fully extinguish the fire.

Martin stood beside a cart stacked with toys for Duncan, toiletries, pillows and clothing. Volunteers folded clothing and sorted through items that were donated to the Firefighter Wives Association, the nonprofit that emerged as a leader in the recovery effort.

“Everyone thinks that people are divided right now. It’s nice to see that we aren’t,” said volunteer Sandra Watkinson of Somerset.

Firefighter Wives Association President Sharron Schoonover Furtado said Tuesday that donations of clean, packaged underwear, money and gift cards are sorely needed.

She said the association has collected nearly $50,000 in donations through an online GoFundMe fundraiser and other sources. But more money is needed.

“People might look at it and think that’s a lot of money, but when you’re splitting it up between 36 families, it’s really not a lot to get going,” said Schoonover Furtado.

Some items are difficult to replace no matter how much money is donated. Meneses recently completed her doctorate in physical therapy, and is originally from the Philippines. Hoping to one day become a U.S. citizen, her Filipino birth certificate and passport were destroyed in aftermath of the fire.

“Her parents are older. It would be a half-day journey for them to get her a new birth certificate,” Martin said of Meneses’ family in the Philippines, adding that she must go to the country’s embassy in New York City to replace her passport.

The couple spent hours searching for an apartment just one day after the fire was finally extinguished. Meneses “called everyone in the phone book,” Martin said, while he searched for listings online.

A landlord took a liking to them on day three of the apartment hunt, and the couple signed a lease the following day. The shock they felt after losing the lion’s share of their belongings began subsiding after moving into their new home, said Martin.

Their new home is near Duncan’s school, Frank M. Silvia Elementary. Martin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in a field of psychology that aims to reinforce positive behavior among those with autism, said his son is autistic.

Meneses said she's trying to create a sense of normalcy for Duncan, who has felt anxious since the fire. The 3-year-old cuddled his “comfort pillow,” a soothing item he's had since he was a baby.

“He’s having a real hard time adjusting to the transition,” said Martin. “Kids with autism, you have to keep the routine as normal as possible.”

He said the Silvia Elementary School raised $4,400 that will be divided between the two displaced families with students at the school, including Duncan. They said they and other former tenants also received over $2,800 from the company that owns Four Winds Apartments owner, Claremont Cos.

Martin said the funds will help them pay down items they bought on credit to furnish their new home. The couple still needs some basics, from pots, pans, and a new bed for Duncan.

“We’re just trying to stay positive,” Martin said.

Email Amanda Burke at aburke@heraldnews.com.