Volunteers host fundraiser to help residents affected by East Hills apartment fire, heat issue
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A group of volunteers prepped a meal to help raise funds for the ongoing recovery efforts after a two-year-old girl died in a fire and some residents lost heat in an East Hills apartment building.
The fire tore through the Maple Ridge Apartments at the end of last year. Two-year-old Praise Lemons died after being rushed to the hospital. Two other people were injured.
"It's hard to move on from the situation. A young queen lost her life," fundraiser organizer Darrick Curington said.
Curington wanted to hold a fundraiser to help the families of the victims and everyone impacted by the blaze. He hosted it at Ethnan Temple in Wilkinsburg, where Lemons was a member.
According to Curington, some of the residents are still not back in their homes. Some had to leave during the bitter cold because their apartments did not have heat.
"They're still in hotels. The people of East Hills are still going through their situation, the heat situation going on," Currington said.
The goal Sunday was to raise about $1,000, with all the money going to the people that need it. Curington bought all the food and supplies himself, and while he knows this money won't cover everything, he hopes it's a step in the right direction.
"This is just a stepping stone. We've got more to come. I know these people will need housing, so they will need beds and stuff like that," Currington said while getting the event set up.
City leaders, including Mayor Ed Gainey, have called on the property owners, the New York-based MMS Group, to do a better job of managing the apartments.
Ethnan Temple will still be collecting donations for the victims as they continue through the recovery process.
