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Aid given to fire victims
Guy McCarthy, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/08/2007 12:00:00 AM PST


About 50 people from Riverside and San Bernardino counties pitched in Sunday to help a dozen families who lost nearly all their belongings in an apartment-complex fire last week in Grand Terrace.
Most of them didn't know any of those victimized by the Jan. 2 blaze that gutted the two-story building on De Berry Street. But they gathered a truckload of clothing, blankets, gift certificates, cash and other essentials to share with those in need.

"Everybody here knows the situation," Pastor Daniel Sierra told a gathering outside the home of Cynthia Dela Rosa on Rancho Avenue in Colton. "These people lost everything right here in the holidays. I can see there's a lot more we can do in the future."
Sierra, who ministers at New Harvest Christian Fellowship in Moreno Valley, said he heard about the fundraiser earlier Sunday from his uncle, Johnny Sierra of Colton.

"I challenged my congregation this morning," Pastor Sierra said. "We went to Wal-Mart for shampoo, toothpaste, soap, hygiene stuff, stuff they can use. There is more we can do. This is not just a one-day thing."

Johnny Sierra, who came with a group of friends on chromed-out choppers, said he and his comrades wanted to do something for the unfortunate. "Maybe we didn't know these people, but we just wanted to help our neighbors," he said. "It's Colton. It's Grand Terrace. We're in this together."

Colton Mayor Kelly Chastain told the gathering at Dela Rosa's home that their generosity embodied a community's spirit.

"This is what Colton's all about, people coming together to help each other," Chastain said. "Let's keep these people in our prayers and keep our eyes open for more ways we can help."

Asked why she hosted a fundraiser and donation drive for people she didn't know in Grand Terrace, Dela Rosa said it just seemed like the right thing to do.

"We've got to help each other," she said. "You never know. It could be one of us the next time. I'm a firm believer that if we can help, we should help."

The burned-out building at Crest Apartments was boarded up Sunday. Gaping, black-rimmed gashes in the roof showed where flames had ripped through the two-story structure. Most of the families displaced by the fire are living in vacant units in the complex.

No one was seriously injured in the blaze. Fire officials said it apparently started after a maintenance worker welded a pipe that overheated and ignited material in an attic.