FALL RIVER — All 36 families that lost their homes and belongings in the devastating New Year’s Day fire at the Four Winds fire have found homes and beginning to rebuild their lives, but the outpouring of love and donations continues with Saturday night’s benefit.
Former Four Winds resident Amber Cranston recalled waking up to the sound of fire alarms, smelled smoke and woke up her roommate. The two fled with their dog as the fire was burning, and firefighters managed to retrieve a tank containing her pet salamanders.
Cranston, a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a marine biology degree, said she stayed in Boston with her family whom has been very supportive. But the support from the people of Fall River was surprising.
“You kind of expect that from your family, but I wasn’t expecting that from the Fall River community to show up the way that they did. It was amazing and heartening that there are a lot of people who don’t necessarily know you care about how you’re doing,” said Cranston.
Firefighters Wives Association President Sharron Schoonover Furtado, the organization that immediately jumped in to help organize the effort to raise money and donations, said that so far they have dispersed $110,000 in cash and gift cards to the 80 affected adults and children.
Furtado said they still hadn’t used any of the $17,000 raised in a GoFundMe campaign, and she guessed that the night’s benefit held at the Fall River Lodge of Elks Lounge on North Main Street could net another $10,000.
That doesn’t account for the donations from local people and businesses.
“There are hundreds of people that have helped. Just today, there are about 100 volunteers,” Furtado said.
Since the fire, former Four Winds resident Beth Fournier admitted, some days are still hard.
She and her daughter, Amber Leigh Veras, lost virtually everything, including two beloved cats.
But the Fall River firefighter, Alexander Arruda, who retrieved the pets who succumbed in the fire, has been helping the family since the tragedy and last week helped them move into their new apartment in Taunton.
Arruda, who was attending the benefit with Fournier and Veras, had changed the locks to their apartment earlier in the day.
“It would be nothing without everybody’s support, because some days you want to cry and say ‘why?' Other days, you’re like ‘Wow, these people are amazing,’” said Fournier.
In the fire, Cranston lost her father’s ashes and the American flag from his military burial among her lost belongings.
“It’s the sentimental stuff you take for granted being there,” said Cranston.
But with the help of the community through rent assistance and donations to start rebuilding a household, Cranston and her roommate have moved into a new apartment in New Bedford and she’s looking forward to finding a job in her major.
“It might be hard for people to believe that their small donation affects such a large group of people, but all of those tiny donations from everyday people added up to the difference of what my life is like now.”
Email Jo C. Goode at jgoode@heraldnews.com.