Community helps out after 20 people displaced from apartment building fire in Wildwood
WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- A woman remains hospitalized and 20 people are without a place to stay after a massive fire in Wildwood Monday.
Part of the ceiling now covers the floor inside Angelica Gutierrez's apartment on East Juniper Avenue in Wildwood. Her unit suffered heavy water and smoke damage after a fast-moving fire.
"Everything is like boom! So we start running and crying," she said.
Gutierrez said she was sound asleep around 5:50 a.m. as flames were shooting out the second floor of the building. She credits her 7-month-old puppy Zeus for waking up her daughter as smoke filled the room.
"He bite her toes like to try to let her know something is going on in the house," she said.
A couple living on the second floor is expecting their first child next month. Their baby shower ended only a few hours before the fire started and CBS Philadelphia was told all the gifts were destroyed but now the community has stepped in to help.
"Mostly customers of mine but people just coming in saying 'Hey, this is for the couple in the fire and the families in the fire,'" Jim Burke said.
About half a block away, boxes of diapers, baby gifts, and clothing now fill the front room inside Santucci's Pizza. A chef at the pizza shop is the father-to-be who lost practically everything and a post on social media asking for donations has exploded.
Kevin Campbell has never met the couple before. He said he received support years ago so he stopped into Santucci's Tuesday afternoon with a personal check to pay it forward.
"I have enough. I'm not rich but a couple hundred dollars may go a long way to them and it won't hurt me, so paying it forward is pretty special," Campbell said.
Realtors are helping find temporary housing and Jim Schickling is also collecting gift cards to help get everyone back on their feet.
The Wildwood community is helping to find temporary housing for the families and get them back on their feet.
"The school came in so quick, bring to us coats, clothes, shoes like everybody surprised me because everybody tried to help us," Gutierrez said.
The owner of the building said his property is likely a total loss but he is grateful to see all the support.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.