Apartment Fire Resident Thankful for the Red Cross

Story by Cindy Huge, Public Affairs Volunteer

“I don’t know what I would have done without the American Red Cross.” Mark Campbell is thankful for the help that the American Red Cross has given him. 

A mid-morning fire broke out in the 12-story apartment building where Campbell has lived for the past 10 years. “I heard people screaming to get out and fire alarms going off. I ran out of my apartment and used the stairway to exit. I had to make my way through what seemed like 2 feet of water and then I fell as I was running away from the building. Medical personnel on the scene took me to the hospital for treatment and when I was discharged, I had nowhere to go,” Campbell recalled.

Campbell then called his neighbor and he suggested to come to the hotel where Red Cross was offering a safe place to stay. Tired and hungry, smelling of smoke and soot and wearing only the clothes he had on, Campbell made his way to the hotel. There he found Red Cross disaster volunteers who greeted him with kindness and warmth. After evaluating his needs, the volunteers provided him a room at the hotel and a hot meal.  

All this was made possible, it was explained, by the generosity of the American people who donate to the American Red Cross. “I ran out of my apartment with only the clothes on my back and my shoes in my hand. I left behind everything," Campbell recalls, when remembering how he fled for his life. “I don’t know what I would have done if it were not for the Red Cross. Everyone is so kind and helpful. They even are providing 3 meals a day and they check on me to make sure I am doing okay.”