The San Martin families who lost their homes in a multiple-structure fire Aug. 7 have received an outpouring of generosity from their neighbors who want to help them get back on their feet.
Members of the Jimenez extended family, who lived in one of the mobile homes that was destroyed by the fire on Murphy Avenue, picked up donated clothing and food at Rocca’s Market Aug. 11. The store’s management offered the market as a dropoff point for anyone who wants to donate clothing, school supplies, hygiene products and other items.
Outside the rear of the store, the Jimenez family perused donated clothing on a table to take home. Maria Jimenez, mother of 14-year-old Braulio Jimenez who attends Britton Middle School, wanted to tell the community who donated the items, “Thanks a lot.”
Braulio said the family is staying with his uncle in San Martin until they find a permanent place to live. Eight members of the Jimenez family—including five children who attend Morgan Hill Unified schools—were at Rocca’s. They lived in the home that burned for about three years, Braulio said.
Rocca’s Market, located near the intersection of San Martin Avenue and Monterey Road, also donated groceries to the families. Cecelia Ponzini, director of Cecelia’s Closet and Food Pantry in Morgan Hill, dropped off gift cards at the market, which were distributed to the displaced families.
“They need the help,” said Dan Keith, Rocca’s butcher. He said he wanted to help and get the word out almost immediately after he saw the smoke from the fire from his house in San Martin Aug. 7. “I feel good because they’re getting clothed and fed.”
The fire displaced a total of 13 San Martin residents, including six children, according to a spokeswoman from the American Red Cross, which has helped the families with temporary housing arrangements and basic living necessities. Five families were displaced by the fire.
Keith noted that the families lost almost everything they owned in the fire. The father of another family had only the clothes he was wearing Sunday night, so Keith went to Target that evening and purchased some new clothing so he could go back to work this week.
Ponzini also opened her Cecelia’s Closet distribution center on Peebles Avenue in north Morgan Hill after she learned five families lost their home Aug. 7. The center, which is part of the nonprofit Edward Boss Prado Foundation, donates clothing, food and hygiene products to local families in need.
The Aug. 7 blaze started as a vegetation fire and spread to the surrounding structures on the 1400 block of Murphy Avenue, according to CalFire officials. At least three mobile homes, as well as several greenhouses and vehicles were destroyed before firefighters from multiple agencies could extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
