Fire at Middletown Warming Center
March 2, 2022
Dear Friends,
I wanted to share news with you regarding a fire at one of our facilities this past weekend and the heroic actions of our staff and partners.
On Saturday afternoon at approximately 4:00 P.M., Columbus House staff noticed smoke coming from one of the rooms used by our clients at the Wesley Inn and Suites in Middletown. Due to the swift action by staff, all clients and a dog were safely evacuated from the hotel and there were no injuries.
The Middletown Fire Department was on the scene quickly and the fire was contained to one room. That room sustained heavy damage and others sustained major smoke damage rendering them uninhabitable. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Due to the extensive fire and smoke damage, 17 clients were relocated to the Eddy Shelter, run by our friends at The Connection. The City of Middletown dispatched a bus to transport our people and their belongings to the Eddy Shelter.
I’m happy to report that all have been safely moved back to the hotel on Tuesday afternoon. Ideally, we would prefer to move people directly to housing. Unfortunately rents in Middletown are rising and vacancies are scarce, making it exceptionally hard for our clients to move to housing.
I am extremely proud of the strength, commitment and compassion displayed by the Columbus House team during this emergency. A huge thanks to all those people who dropped everything on a Saturday night to assure the comfort and safety of those we serve.
Our program staff jumped into action executing emergency response procedures in order to keep everyone safe and to quickly re-shelter those impacted on a very cold winter night. I watched our Middlesex team respond calmly, efficiently, and kindly to anxious and disoriented clients. Facilities staff drove down to New Haven and returned with blankets, sheets, pillows, towels, and bottled water.
We were able to respond so quickly thanks to the cooperation of our partner agencies including River Valley Services, the City of Middletown, St. Vincent de Paul, The Connection, Red Cross, and the Connecticut Department of Housing.
If you would like to help, please consider making a financial contribution, or donate gift cards so that those affected can replace personal items lost in the fire. Due to your past generosity, we currently do not need donations of clothing or personal care items. St. Vincent de Paul has been providing food.
I am extremely proud of our staff for their professionalism in the face of an emergency; grateful to our Middletown partners who came to our side, and most importantly I appreciate each of you for your commitment to helping those experiencing homelessness.
Thank you,
Margaret Middleton, CEO