Amber and Blake House Fire

On Friday morning June 16 2023 a severe thunderstorm swept across Philadelphia. During this storm lightning struck the roof of Amber and Blake's rowhouse, igniting a fire. They along with Riggs were home at the time. Amber and Blake remained unaware of any fire until the Fire Department burst through their front door and escorted them outside. Thanks to the Fire Department's swift action, Amber, Blake and Riggs were able to safely exit the home.

The fire was inside of the space between the ceiling and the roof so there was no smoke inside of the apartment, no indication that there was a fire. The Fire Department went up to the second floor and began tearing up the entire ceiling to locate and extinguish the fire, which they were able to do.

The top floor, which was the master and spare bedrooms as well as the main bathroom, was completely destroyed by fire, smoke and/or water. Mattresses, clothing, furniture, electronics, shoes, home gym equipment, etc. were completely unrecoverable. Furniture on the street level floor and basement were soaked by the water used to extinguish the fire and were unsalvageable.

Their home is unlivable. Once the fire was subdued, Amber and Blake were able to enter the home to retrieve anything which could be recoverable. They were able to salvage whatever clothing was in their basement laundry room as well as some collections of books and vinyl records.

Amber, Blake and Riggs are now homeless. Their former landlord is helping them in the coming week to secure a new apartment. They will need all new furniture, clothing, shoes, etc. The magnitude of the challenge ahead for them is great and the financial burden of recovery is crushing. Anything which could be donated to help them rebuild their life would be so appreciated.