NEW PALESTINE — A stuffed white unicorn sat next to a bag with a big doll tucked inside, and other toys were stacked nearby in the front entrance of Kimberly Means’ home.
The piles of toys and clothing were just a few of the items community members had dropped off at Means’s house, donations for her best friend, Megan Reilly, after a Tuesday night fire that destroyed Reilly’s apartment in a duplex at 30 W. Mill St.
When firefighters arrived, shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, flames were shooting through the roof. The unit could not be saved, fire officials said. The other half of the duplex did not catch fire, but it did sustain smoke and water damage. It was unoccupied.
Reilly; her daughter, Ava; and her mother, Tammy, were not home when the fire broke out, but the blaze destroyed their belongings and killed their dog, Jade, who had been a Christmas gift.
The family reportedly did not have renter’s insurance.
Means said as soon as she saw the fire, a few doors down from her own home, and the look on Reilly’s face, she knew she had to help.
“My first thought was, ‘what would I do if I came home and everything I owned except the clothes on my back had been burned,’” Means said.
Means and another close family friend, Liz Smith, New Palestine, immediately took to social media and set up a community campaign asking local residents to pull together and donate clothing items and other household goods.
The community quickly responded, dropping off bags of clothes and toys for Ava, a second-grade student at New Palestine Elementary School, along with clothes for the two women.
With all of the donations they’ve received and are expecting, the family now needs to focus on rebuilding and starting over, Smith said.
Smith created an online fundraiser account, gofundme.com/help-megan-ava-and-tammy, with the hopes of raising $5,000 to help the family purchase food, hygiene products and day-to-day items, until Reilly is able to get back to work as an in-home nursing assistant.
The family is staying with Reilly’s boyfriend until they can find a more permanent solution, but they’re hopeful to get a place where they can all live together.
Any donations not used will be given to a Hancock County charity, with nothing going to waste, Means said. Anyone wanting to drop off food, gift cards or other items can reach Means or Smith through their Facebook accounts.
Fire investigators were expected to return to the scene Friday with insurance officials to continue their investigation. A cause is undetermined.
The duplex is owned by CPM Enterprise I LLC, according to county records.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”How you can help” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Friends of the family have set up an account to raise funds to help them recover from the fire on Tuesday night. People interested in helping can go to gofundme.com/help-megan-ava-and-tammy. The campaign’s goal is $5,000.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
