Fundraisers have been organized on a crowdfunding platform to help two North Huntingdon families who were victims of fires this month — one family who lost their home and another whose dog kennel was destroyed.
A GoFundMe page for Regina and Charles Bazala Sr. has raised $22,100 of a $28,000 goal as of Friday morning.
The Bazalas escaped injury when the fire destroyed their home on Main Street in the Hahntown section of the township on Tuesday morning, but were unable to save any of their possessions, according to a nephew, Jason Bazala. Bazala, of North Huntingdon, organized the online fundraiser.
“In a matter of minutes, they lost everything — clothes, personal belongings, important documents, and all the everyday items that make a house a home. They literally only made it out with the clothes they were wearing,” Jason Bazala wrote on the fundraising page.
“It was a pretty stressful event for them. They lost their home and are in a hotel,” thanks to assistance from the American Red Cross, Bazala said Friday.
The fundraiser is to help them cover immediate needs and bridge the gap while insurance and other assistance are sorted out. The donations will be used for temporary living expenses, clothing, food, replacing essential items and helping them begin to rebuild their lives, Bazala wrote.
He said his aunt and uncle are still considering options as to where they will live. He said their grandson, Charles Bazala, also lived with them.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation by North Huntingdon Police Sgt. Nick Dreistadt.
According to Jason Bazala, the fire started in the basement of the two-story house and his aunt and uncle tried to extinguish it, but the fire spread into the walls. He said the smoke was so heavy that it drifted up a hill to the home where his father, Mike Bazala, lives.
Business recovery effort
A GoFundMe initiative has raised about $18,530 of a $26,000 goal to help Bowser’s Dog Services — a kennel and dog training service — rebuild the business that was destroyed by a fire on Baker School Road on Jan. 7.
Nathan and Jodi Bowser, who own the kennel on their property, could not be reached for comment Friday.
The Bowsers lost two of their own dogs in the fire and four other dogs being boarded in the kennel also were killed.
“They would like to rebuild,” said Emily Todd, vice president of the Whiskey Acres Animal Rescue and Sanctuary near Saltsburg, which created the fundraising page.
Any money raised in excess of the goal would be returned to the donors or given to a charity of their choice, Whiskey Acres states on the fundraiser page.
