A fire broke out shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, at a home at 62 Stony Hill Road in Hampden. The blaze displaced a family and caused extensive damage to the house.
HAMPDEN -- Donations are being raised for a Hampden family displaced by a fire that severely damaged their home.
A GoFundMe account has been established for the Michel family, whose ranch-style house at 62 Stony Hill Road sustained extensive damage in an apparent electrical fire reported at 3:12 p.m. Tuesday.
The family was unharmed, but the fire claimed their kitten and all of their belongings, according to the GoFundMe page, which had raised over $5,000 for the family by 11 a.m. Wednesday.
"Today my dear friend, Nicole Michel, lost her home due to an electrical fire. Thankfully, (she) and her family made it out safely, but with the tragic loss of her kitten and all belongings," Nicolette Barcomb, who established the GoFundMe account, said Tuesday.
"Please keep Nicole and her family in mind at the start of this new year. All donations would be greatly appreciated and would significantly help her family get back on their feet," Barcomb said.
A GoFundMe account has been established for the Michel family, whose ranch-style house at 62 Stony Hill Road, Hampden, sustained extensive damage in an apparent electrical fire reported at 3:12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. GoFundMe
Clothes, toiletries and other donations may be left on the front porch of 192 Stony Hill Road, Wilbraham.
Hampden firefighters quickly contained the blaze, but not before it caused heavy damage to the right side of the home.
AMR, the Red Cross, National Grid, and firefighters from East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Monson and Somers were also dispatched to the call.
A section of Stony Hill Road was blocked to traffic, which was rerouted away from the fire scene.
Community residents posted words of encouragement to the Michel family on the Hampden Fire Department's Facebook page.
"Let's help. It's what we do and do it well," said retired Hampden schoolteacher Lisa Sternberg.
"What can we do to help?" asked Hampdenite Maureen Kelly.
"God bless that family that everyone got out! Prayers," said resident Dan Kingsbury,
Tuesday's fire was the town's second major fire in recent weeks.
On Dec. 12, a devastating blaze broke out at a local mansion known as "the Castle," a gated home on rural Stafford Road. The fire caused extensive damage to the historic house, whose owners plan to rebuild.
The recent fires have sparked discussions about Hampden's fire-coverage needs, with some advocating for the volunteer department to add some paid, full-time firefighters to its ranks. The issue has been raised with the Board of Selectmen.
A memo from the Fire Department, which was given to selectmen, makes the case for hiring up to three firefighters, including one officer, to staff the fire station on a full-time basis.
The memo also calls for converting the Hampden Fire Department to a so-called call department, with premiums paid to firefighters who respond to calls on weekdays during regular business hours, when most department members are working their full-time jobs.