How To Help Bel Air Fire Victims Whose House Burned Down

BEL AIR, MD — After a Bel Air family of five lost their home to a fire this week, a friend has set up a campaign to help them get back on their feet. And, he says, he hopes to possibly provide some Christmas gifts for the children, who lost all their presents in the blaze.

The day after Christmas, flames broke out in the house on George Street. Two of the residents were in the backyard, and one tried to put out the blaze with a hose to no avail, according to the fire marshal.

"This family is starting over with nothing," said Chris Mckelvey, who started a GoFundMe campaign to help his friends who lived in the house. "The children include [an] 11-year-old boy and two girls ages 5 and 10. Anything anyone can do to help this family is appreciated."

The 11-year-old boy wears 12 slim pants, large shirts and size 5 shoes; the 5-year-old girl wears 5, 5t or 6t and size 10 shoes; and the 10-year-old girl wears 10xl shirts, large pants and size 5 shoe, according to Mckelvey.

Here is the GoFundMe page.

Approximately $20,000 worth of items inside the home were lost, and there was $60,000 in structural damage, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which also reported a cat perished in the fire.

While an official determination has not been made on the cause, the fire marshal said that an overloaded extension cord cannot be ruled out.

Related: Fire Marshal Says Bel Air Blaze Caused $80K In Damage, Lost Cat

Photo courtesy of Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.