LBI Community Rallies Around Vet Who Lost Everything In Fire

SHIP BOTTOM, NJ — When 94-year-old Paul Roberts' Ship Bottom house burnt down on March 14, he truly thought he lost everything.

But the Ship Bottom community has rallied around the WWII Marine Corps veteran with a GoFundMe to help him rebuild the house he lived in for over 50 years and thought he would be in the rest of his days.

The GoFundMe was started on March 28 and has already reached over $100,000 in donations towards the $150,000 goal.

According to the GoFundMe, Roberts inherited the Ship Bottom house that was built in 1920, after summering in it when he was young. He moved in fulltime when he retired in 1986.

The fire began on March 14 while Roberts was getting ready for bed. He saw smoke in his bedroom and, realizing there was a fire, ran across the street to his neighbor's house. The neighbor, Erin Obermayer, who created the GoFundMe, called 911, but it was too late.

Roberts lost everything in the fire, except for some photo albums, according to the GoFundMe. He did have insurance, but since the house was so old, construction was out of code and it had to be torn down.

In spite of everything, the GoFundMe says Roberts continues to have a smile on his face every day. "Paul is a truly humble, independent, wonderful person, but for the first time in his life, he needs the help and support of those around him," Obermayer wrote on the page.

You can find the GoFundMe here.