Dozens without a home for the holidays after Bay Street fire Saturday night

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -Dozens of people are without a home this Christmas after multiple fires damaged homes this weekend – including one right here in Springfield.

The Red Cross Disaster Team stepped in to help nearly two dozen families this past week.

“The temperatures were just so cold last night so we were able to bring some people into our vehicles and we had a bus there too, so we were able to get people out of the cold,” said Mary Nathan, disaster program manager for the American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross responded to 155 Bay Street in Springfield on Christmas Eve.

They were there to help 19 people who were displaced after a two-alarm fire broke out on the third floor of the multi-family building.

This was the second serious fire in western Mass. that took place on Saturday and the sixth fire the Red Cross responded to this week alone.

the Red Cross’ Disaster Action Team is a volunteer-based group that responds to fires, like the one on Bay Street, to offer families housing, clothing and food.

Nathan said that even after the flames are put out, the team offers resources and guidance to folks as they start to rebuild.

“What we will do in the coming days is that we will work with them to make sure that they have a recovery plan in place, and we will help with some guidance on that,” Nathan said.

With winter weather settling in, Nathan said the Red Cross typically sees an uptick in fires this time of year.

The team relies heavily on volunteer efforts. Something Nathan said they are in desperate need of.

“We just don’t have the volunteers. We’re managing to get to every fire call or other type of response whenever it comes in but there are an awful lot of people who are putting in a herculean effort to make that happen,” she said.

If you are interested in joining the Red Cross’ Disaster Action Team, more information can be found here.

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