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Donations Pouring In To Help Austin Apartment Complex Fire Victims


Donations have been pouring into the management office of the International Residence Apartments in far Northwest Austin where almost 70 units burned to the ground early Thursday morning.

Christine Andrade lives in a complex a few feet away from the fire and can see the devastation from her balcony. "Looks like doomsday to me, a warzone, a lot of devastation," she says when looking the aftermath.

On Friday, investigators were busy sifting through the debris and trying to find clues to determine what may have sparked the fire. The front office of the apartment complex has also been organizing donations, such as clothes, food and toys for residents.

“Anything and everything is totally appreciated,” says Laura Smiley, one of the dozens of people who lost everything.

Trinity Property Consultants, which owns the damaged complex, is collecting donations at all their properties for fire victims. Christin Terech works for the complex and says, “Tons of residents have been coming in to pick up the donations and we’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of people donating.”

Austin Disaster Relief is also partnering with churches like Twin Lakes Fellowship to collect donations as well. Mark Shackelford with the Christian Compassion Center says they’re collecting toys, furniture and household items.

The Salvation Army is also offering residents $500 vouchers to be used at the Salvation Army family store so they can buy clothing and household items. Shoreline Church in North Austin also donated 50 Wal-Mart gift cards to American Red Cross of Central Texas to help the residents get some essentials.

For More information on how to help log onto http://www.austindisasterreliefnetwork.org/ or http://www.internationalresidenceapts.com/ and click on the 'please donate' icon.