Fire Displaces Family of Six in Wallingford

A family of six was displaced from their Chapel Street home in a structure fire on Monday afternoon.

The Wallingford Fire Department IAFF Local 1326 Union posted on its Facebook page that the fire occurred on the first floor and firefighters had it under control within 15 minutes.

Homeowner Maureen Reed told the Meriden Record-Journal that she was cleaning inside the house when she saw a bright light and smelled smoke. Three residents were home at the time of the fire and they all made it out safely, along with the family’s two dogs and cat, according to the Record-Journal.

The Record-Journal also reported the Maureen Reed is the mother of Connor Reed, the teenager who was afflicted with a rare disease called Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) last year and was in a comatose state at one point.

Through his recovery process, Connor Reed received words of encouragement from then UConn guard Shabazz Napier in a YouTube video.

During his recovery, Reed played wheelchair basketball at the hospital gym and was known as “Shabazz on Wheels.”

Read more about the Reed-Napier connection here.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family, four adults and two children, with emergency housing, food and clothing needs.

Civil Defense also responded and provided assistance until the Red Cross arrived, according to the Record-Journal.

The Red Cross is also providing comfort kits containing personal care items such as toothbrushes, deodorant, shaving supplies and other items a resident might not have been able to gather in the rush to escape the fire, Red Cross spokesman Paul Shipman said in a press release.

Also provided was an envelope of information helpful to families recovering from a fire, including tips on cleanup; notification of important contacts; dealing with damaged items and more, according to Shipman.

American Red Cross disaster assistance is free of charge, a gift made possible by generous donations and the work of volunteers. For more information about the Red Cross and how you can help, visit www.redcross.org.

Read the full Meriden Record-Journal story here.

Photo courtesy of the Wallingford Fire Department IAFF Local 1326 Facebook page

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