Community rallies around Pennsylvania police officer and his family after house fire

By Rachel Ravina
The journalist

HATBORO, Pa. — The community rallied around a Hatboro police officer and his family who lost their home in a fire this weekend in Berks County.

An online fundraising campaign has raised more than $40,000 so far. The GoFundMe page initially launched on Sunday had a goal of $10,000, but 450 donors surpassed that goal as of 2 p.m. Monday with $40,906 raised.

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Saturday and crews from the Eastern Berks Fire Department quickly responded to the home in Washington Township, Berks County. As the house was razed, Sgt. Alex Bruckner, his wife Sarah, his mother, their children and their pet were not injured.

“Sarah, Alex and their three young children, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in early summer, stood and watched helplessly as they lost everything they owned in just a few minutes. It will take them several months to rebuild their lives after this devastating loss,” Bruckner’s aunt, Amanda Karns, said in a post on GoFundMe.

Karns took to social media to share the heartbreaking story that reportedly began with an electrical fire on the family's patio.

“This proud, hard-working family would never ask for help for themselves, but they need support,” Karns said.

Montgomery County officials also responded to the tragedy twice by calling on community members to support the family of the Hatboro law enforcement officer, who has been with the department since 2010.

“Please keep the Bruckner family in your thoughts and prayers as they recover from this situation. We are very fortunate to live in a great small community where everyone helps each other and those who serve our community every day,” Hatboro officials said in a Facebook post.

Bruckner previously served in the armed forces, serving two tours with the U.S. Army in 2005 and 2007 in Iraq, according to Hatboro Police Chief Mark Ruegg, who in an article on the department's Crime Watch website, stressed that the family “suffered a tragic loss” and asked for additional support.

The Montgomery County Hero Fund is also seeking donations to help Bruckner's family. Those interested in contributing can go to montgomerycountyherofund.org and click the “Donate Today” button. Visit gofundme.com/f/support-for-officer-alex-bruckners-family for more information on GoFundMe.

Editors at The Reading Eagle contributed to this report.

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