A Maplewood family that lost its new home and almost all of its possessions in the early hours of Christmas Day is in need of help.
Visit the Gedin Family gofundme page here.
Already neighbors have embraced the Gedin family, providing short-term needs such as clothing and basic items; however, the family lost nearly everything in the Hilton Avenue fire and a gofundme page has been set up by neighbor Alexander Scott to help the Gedins rebuild their lives.
The fire took place before the family had completely moved into the home — which was undergoing construction — so, fortunately, no one was harmed physically and no lives were lost. But the financial, personal and emotional toll is incredibly high. As Sandi Gedin wrote in an update on the page, “Waking up to a phone call Christmas morning, ‘Your house is on fire, Come now,’ the emotion is unbearable. My dad always said everything happens for a reason. I’m not sure what this reason is but I’m so grateful for #life #Psalm 35.”
Maplewood Fire Chief Michael Weber confirmed the circumstances of the fire and the destruction: “The fire was apparently called in by a passerby,” reported Weber. “The first fire units arrived on the scene within 4 minutes of dispatch and reported a working fire. Units from South Orange, Millburn, Orange and Irvington assisted with suppression. No injuries were reported. The residence suffered significant fire damage was deemed uninhabitable.”
From the gofundme page:
Early in the morning on December 25th, a fire broke out in Sandi’s home destroying everything inside. This was the home Sandi had received from her late father, Frank, and she had just completed renovating the inside. She had moved all of her belongings in and went to a hotel while the last few touches were completed by the contractors. Luckily, no one was hurt in the fire but the new construction and all of her belongings were destroyed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Sandi will need some financial support to get through the next couple of months as she figures out her next steps.
