Four days before Christmas, an apartment fire in Dunwoody took everything from Eli Itow, his wife and two children — as it had also taken from eight other families that night.
In the midst of the disaster, he said the city’s mayor, Lynn Deutsch, showed up to help. He said when she heard his son had Type 1 diabetes, she walked out of the complex and down the block to a gas station just to bring him back a bottle of juice.
“Who does that? She did it last night. She didn’t take credit for it or anything but I watched her do it,” he said. “She didn’t make a big deal out of being the mayor. She was just there as a person to help. You don’t get that everywhere.”
The tragedy unfolded after a construction crew hit a gas line at the Dunwoody Village Apartment Homes, causing a blaze through the building around 4:50 p.m. Monday. Two workers with Atlanta Gas Light were injured and two residents were burned, according to DeKalb County fire spokesman Capt. Dion Bentley.
Despite his ordeal, Itow was inspired by the phenomenal outpouring of support. Those in the community are hoping a cash donation will help with basic necessities during the holiday season.
“What we hope is that they can get the toothpaste that they like and the shoes that fit,” Deutsch said. “That’s our goal, to put some version of cash in their hands while they are going through the worst of it.”
Itow said he spent much of Tuesday buying necessities.
“I’m not even sure how I feel about this yet, to be honest with you,” he said.
But as he stood outside of Malachi’s Storehouse, an outreach ministry of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, and watched as cars lined up down the street to drop off supplies, food and gift cards Tuesday night, he couldn’t withhold his admiration.
He marveled at how many times the mayor had made a trip to his car to drop off a can of Pringles or a snack “because she knows what a teenager would like.” Earlier, he said he watched a man come by to drop off some food, before getting out and asking, “Can I stay to help you organize things for a little while?”
“Now, we are here just watching the outpouring from the community,” he said. “Part of that gives you a sense that things will be OK.”
Investigators have not confirmed the cause of the fire, but Bentley said Atlanta Gas Light was working on a damaged line at the complex before it caught fire. Mekka Parish, a spokeswoman for the utility company, said the line was damaged by a contracting firm working on an unrelated project. Two field service employees who responded were injured, she said.
Two residents of the complex were burned, and one woman went into labor during the commotion, according to Bentley. They were all taken to the hospital, he said. The conditions of those injured were not available Tuesday.
One unoccupied unit and five occupied units were impacted in the complex. Deutsch said the fire also damaged some units in a separate structure.
Red Cross volunteers were aiding 18 people from nine different families who were affected by the blaze, according to spokeswoman Sherry Nicholson, a correction from their previous statement that it was 25 people from 10 families.
Those displaced will speak with case workers from the Red Cross on Wednesday about additional needs they might have to start the recovery process, according to Nicholson.
Deutsch is unsure what the long-term damage and consequences will be for the displaced families, but is optimistic that the Dunwoody community will come together to help in whatever way they can.
“What we are trying to do today is make things as easy as possible for people to help — but also for the people receiving help,” Deutsch said. “Based on what I’m hearing from the community, we will collect a fair amount tonight.”
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