Residents of a Worcester apartment building that were displaced by an electrical fire on Thanksgiving Day aren’t going without Thanksgiving dinner thanks to their property owner.
The Community Builders, the nonprofit owner and manager of Plumley Village residential community on Laurel Street in Worcester, distributed Thanksgiving meals, cases of water, snacks and Visa gift cards to the displaced residents, according to a statement from the real estate developer.
The nonprofit has also offered the 120 displaced households temporary housing at no cost to them.
So far 68 households have taken The Community Builders up on its offer, while the remainder have chosen to stay with family and friends, according to the statement.
The nonprofit is working with local service providers to continue to offer support and assistance to its residents.
A spokesperson for The Community Builders said it has been deeply rooted in the city of Worcester for more than 50 years and its mission is “to build and sustain strong communities where all people can thrive.”
The spokesperson said the nonprofit is “incredibly grateful” there were no injuries in a fire that started in an electrical room on the second floor of 16 Laurel St. at 3:42 a.m. Thursday.
The fire caused significant damage to the building’s electric system, but on Friday afternoon the city released a statement saying some of the electricity in the building has already been restored, along with heat and elevator operations.
On-site staff at Plumley Village are working to repair the damage and determine when it will be safe for residents to return.
The city’s Department of Inspectional Service is also working to expedite a temporary fix that would allow residents to come back to their homes, according to a city spokesperson.
The Community Builders expects a timeline on how long the repairs will take early next week.
The cause of the fire, which displaced 300 to 400 residents, is still unknown and will be determined by an insurance company.
Nilsa Colon, a 30-year-old resident who helped others evacuate the building during the fire, told MassLive she’s relieved no one was hurt.
“Everybody’s alive, you know?” she said. “It could have been worse. We had that situation about maybe 14 years ago. I’ve been living here 30 years and that’s my issue: to help everybody that I can.”
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