Parma community rallies to help those impacted by Woodbury Commons fire

Описание: Several fire crews responded to the Woodbury Commons apartment complex in Parma around 9:30 p.m. Friday. Flames spread through two buildings, damaging 24 units.

While every resident made it out safely, many left with only what they could carry.

Kelly Huntington, who has lived at the complex for more than two years, said she was inside her apartment when someone began pounding on her door.

"There was a big, loud pounding on my door, so I got up to see what was going on and I heard a tenant yelling, 'There's a fire! There's a fire!'" Huntington said.

Within seconds, she says, smoke and chaos were visible in the hallway.

"I looked over at my next-door neighbor's apartment — his door was open — and I looked in and it was engulfed in flames," she recalled.

In the rush to escape, Huntington says she was forced to leave nearly everything behind.

"All I could do was grab my coat, my shoes, my purse, and my phone, and that's all I had," she told 3News.

She has not been allowed back inside the building since the fire. Now, she is searching for her two cats, Caleb and Livvie — brother and sister, both 7 years old. Both are black, wearing collars with their names on them, and are microchipped. Residents have begun posting and sharing flyers in the area, hoping someone nearby may spot them.

Huntington says the cats require specialized food and ongoing medication.

"They had to have gotten out somewhere," she explained.

While some residents are searching for missing pets and personal belongings, others in the community are working to help replace what was lost.

At Mario's Barber Shop, donation bins began filling up within days of the fire. Owner Mario Innocenzi says the shop is collecting new household and school-related items for displaced families.

"We're asking for new bedding, new sheets, pillows, blankets, stuff for the kids for school — book bags, pencils, paper — anything you could think of that you need, they need. They lost it all," Innocenzi said.

Parma leaders say the response has been overwhelming. According to Ward 1 City Councilwoman Monica Wilson, all displaced residents have been placed in alternate housing through the property management company.

"The apartment told me they have housed all of the residents in their other properties, so there's nobody without a house right now," Wilson told us.

Donations are still being accepted throughout the week at Mario's Barber Shop. Volunteers are also needed daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Woodbury Commons to help sort and organize items.

Anyone who believes they may have seen Huntington's cats is asked to contact Petcare Deluxe LLC.

Amaya Ward reports: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/loc...