Recovery underway from the Havenside fire

Rebuilding efforts have continued since the May 28 fire that displaced nine residents of Havenside Apartments. Currently, four of these displaced residents are still living in temporary housing at the Mansion House Inn.

“When they said the Red Cross needed to get involved, that struck me. I’m a victim,” said resident Ellen O’Brien. “And that word stuck with me.”

O'Brien, who has lived in Havenside for about four and a half years, said everyone was in shock. She said she stayed at the Mansion House Inn for about eight days; she is fortunately now back in her residence.

Thanks to free mental health counseling offered by the Red Cross, she said she was able to talk to someone who helped her a lot.

“There was a lot of cooperation,” said Edward Suares of ServPro, a fire restoration company that helped rebuild Havenside. “Everyone came together and helped each other.”

The interior of the right wing of Building A suffered the most damage during the incident, with the ceiling and walls destroyed. However, the rest of the building is gradually improving following smoke damage. Displaced residents come “every day” to sort their belongings, Suares said.

O'Brien's neighbors, Frank Polagruto and his wife Celeste, noticed smoke coming from the building. Polagruto said he was the one who called 911.

“My wife was in a wheelchair, so I took her outside. We stood there for about 20 to 25 minutes, thinking we were going to go back,” Polagruto said.

The accident took place in apartment A-2, said Jerimiah Miller, Havenside's maintenance manager. New residents were expected to move into the premises by June 1, which was delayed due to the fire.

According to Tisbury Fire Chief Greg Leland, the fire started in the kitchen of apartment A-2. Oak Bluffs Fire Chief Nelson Wirtz said it appeared a combustible material came into contact with the stove, creating the fire.

Apartment A-2 is located in the right wing of the largest building. The entire Havenside complex is made up of four buildings, A through D, with seven apartments in each building except Building A which has eight apartments. The fire did not spread to the other seven apartments in Building A, according to Chief Leland, although smoke damage did spread.

Residents were asked to evacuate after smoke was initially seen coming from the kitchen door of Building A-2. They were told they couldn't return. It was fortunate, Miller said, that help arrived when it did.

There was a chance the fire spread beyond Apartment A-2 and into the rest of the building. “We were, who knows how long, but less than an hour away from a real loss here,” Miller said.

Havenside Apartments is the island's only nonprofit affordable housing complex for seniors. According to Miller, all other senior housing complexes are government funded. Havenside's only source of income comes from tenants.

“These people who live here and have given their lives to the community really need the community to help them give back right now,” Miller said. He said he believes a broader conversation needs to take place when it comes to Islanders' struggles with affordable housing as a whole.

In 1977, Margaret Love donated the Havenside property to Grace Episcopal Church. Around 1990, the church turned the residence into a nonprofit, said Lucinda Kirk, Havenside's property manager. There are still strong ties to the Church, she said, as the bishop is required to appoint a board member from each Episcopal parish on the island.

The church has been a big help throughout this rebuilding process, according to Kirk, providing food distributions and donations.

According to Miller, residents have lost a variety of things, from personal belongings to clothing, food and furniture, which are not covered by any insurance policy.

O'Brien said she filled three bags with damaged items, her “precious books” among the pile. “But they were just things,” she said, “just things.” Some residents lost everything.

Besides lost property and moves, Miller said false fire alarms were a problem due to the fire.

“We had over 2,000 disturbed alarms the first night and 1,000 more the second night,” he said. With the alarm system compromised, someone had to be present on the property 24 hours a day until the problem could be resolved.

The rebuilding process was “all hands on deck” that included the generosity of the Vineyard community. Businesses and groups from across the island worked together donating their time and resources.

According to Kirk, workers at the airport's laundromat worked overtime to collect some clothes, using special soap pods donated by the Red Cross to remove smoke and harmful chemical residue.

She said Stephen Bowen, owner of Waterside Market, donated gift cards to residents for meals and offered free dinners to help them get back on their feet. Chicken Alley Thrift Shop and Act Two Second Hand Store donated furniture.

The cleaning itself, Suares explained, involves vacuuming spaces, ventilating by opening windows and wiping down surfaces each day.

At this point, it may be another two weeks before the remaining displaced residents can return home, Miller said. That would mean they would face about a month of displacement in total.

Now, Miller said he needs help “to secure the foundation and keep Havenside strong and stable for our seniors in our community.”

“We’re a family here,” Polagruto said. “Everyone cares about everyone and we try to help each other. »