YAKIMA, Wash. – The Red Cross the fire crews in Yakima are continuing to help residents of the Buckingham apartment complex who were removed from their homes after a fire on Mon., March 4.
And to continue providing service to people across the region, the Red Cross trained new leadership on Wednesday to help with disasters in the future.
The training simulated a flood and had volunteers work together on how they get food and shelter set up for impacted victims.
“I view the American Red Cross because it is a humanitarian organization as a ministry of compassion,” said volunteer Fred Tribble. “That’s what drives me. My central focus, compassion for my fellow man. And I’m interested in their welfare.”
Tribble says the Red Cross appreciates when people step up like they did for the Buckingham apartment fire, but it also needs people to stay with the organization in off times to give them a chance to train and prepare for disasters.
Firefighters also continue to support the 60 residents who lost their homes in the fire. Though residents weren’t sure firefighters would find anything valuable in the rubble of their apartments, they did find something of value.
And it was alive.
Three days after the fire, the fire department found cats still alive in the apartments.
Jossimar Rosarios lived on the first floor of the apartments. His wife asked him to be at the apartment as firefighters searched for anything of value, where they came out with two cats.
“During the process, we found several cats,” said Yakima Fire Deparment Lieutenant Jason Horton. “And so we were able to procure a cat carrier, bring two out in one carrier, and then go back in for the third and bring them out and reunite them to their families.”
Rosarios says its been chaotic as people work through what they lost.
“It’s a miracle they even survived,” said Rosarios. “They’re actually running around or even scared to death in our closets. So thank God that at least they’re alive.”
