April 5, 2005

Early morning fire leaves apartment dwellers homeless

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

A fire started just before dawn on the rainy, cold morning of March 23 at the 84-unit Glen Willow apartments on Willow near Bird Avenue. By the time the six-alarm blaze was out, more than 250 people were left homeless, most in pajamas, many without shoes.

The fire burned heavily on the second and third floors of the Glen Willow Apartments on March 23 leaving more than 250 people homeless.

However, only three apartment dwellers were injured with smoke inhalation and burns. They were taken to Valley Medical Center where they are recuperating.

While a tragedy in the sense that fires can be, it also showed the heart of a community. By 6 a.m., less than an hour after fire fighters arrived, people were gathering blankets, socks and clothing for the displaced victims, local eateries were providing food and warm drinks and the nearby B’hai Temple had taken in the strangers, who were cold, tired and scared.

Firefighters were at the scene throughout the day. Once the fire was out, they mopped up the mess, which included water, debris and broken glass. In the following week, while no cause was found, investigators did discover asbestos, creating additional hazards for those who needed to go back and rescue items, such as clothing, in order to start life anew.

“I just got out in my pajamas, and I was told to stay at the shelter at Willow Glen Middle School,” said Rosa Lazano.

She and her husband Jose and their four children lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of the apartment complex.

“Someone knocked on my door and yelled fire. I grabbed the babies and my other children and we left. The smoke was just coming toward my apartment. We moved out to the street and stayed there quite a while until we moved to the [B’Hai] Church,” she told the Times.

The Red Cross and people from Willow Glen are coming to the rescue. Since the fire, people have been bringing clothing, bedding, toiletries and food to the fire’s victims. While a good deal of money and items have been left off at Fire Station #6 and at the middle school makeshift shelter, families at Willow Glen Elementary established their own drive for the 16 families whose children attend that school, which brought in about $2,400 in cash and lots of clothing, bedding and toiletries, said Mary Schorr, a parent who helped sort the goods. There were so many items to be sorted that at one point an entire hallway was full of the goods, she added.

At the same time, the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the American Red Cross was busy helping the fire victims find new homes. The middle school shelter is scheduled to remain open through Monday, April 4, said Cynthia Shaw, director of marketing and communications for the group. Its closure is not definite, she said, because “we have to wait to get all the clients settled into new homes.”

By March 31, about half of the 264 families were getting ready to move into new homes, Shaw said, with the Red Cross cutting checks to help them move in. “We give the people referrals, they find the housing and we help them with the initial costs,” she said.

If you would like to help, you can contact the Red Cross at (408) 577-1000 or visit the Web site at www.santaclaravalley.redcross.org.