House Fire at Dewey Beach
Donation protected
On Easter weekend 2022, an early morning fire engulfed and burned what many of us call our home-away-from-home in Dewey Beach, Delaware, to the ground. High winds propelled the fire incredibly fast, and it ultimately destroyed two other homes as well. A handful of our friends and neighbors escaped with their lives. Special thanks to every emergency worker who made sure the inhabitants were safe, then battled the inferno to get it under control.
Dewey Beach Fire Damages Three Homes on Bayard Avenue
The outpouring of sympathy has been heartwarming, even overwhelming. We appreciate every post, phone call, and especially all the hugs. We are now processing all that we have lost and figuring out how to move forward.
Many people have expressed an interest in participating in the recovery effort, to help in any way they can. I created this crowdfunding campaign to provide that opportunity for anyone who wants to play some part in helping out.
How the funds will be used: My primary concern is helping to “make whole” those who were impacted by this fire. What does that mean? Anyone who has been through a bad fire knows there are quite a number of unforeseen, unrecoverable costs. There is never enough insurance, insurance will cover only a fraction of what was lost, there are additional costs for replacing (and being without) phones, automobiles, musical equipment (and lodging) for working musicians, computers, and so much more. I don’t know yet how much we'll collect or exactly how to allocate proceeds, but they'll go to helping these people recover. Depending on the success of this fundraising, we could help over two dozen people.
They did not ask for this. Most of our friends would prefer to just "deal with it" than to ask for a handout. However, it's about more than bills and recovering from what was lost: taking care of each other gives us and our community a sense of purpose. It reinforces that deep down people are kind, and it brings us all closer together. Isn't that what this is all about?
If you have a connection to this Dewey Beach community or were simply moved to help out, please consider contributing to this campaign, and we will see that your donation gets to those in need. Alternatively, consider donating to ANY fire station in Sussex county, as
many were called upon to prevent this fire from spreading. (Oh, and periodically test your smoke detectors - they actually save lives).
If a monetary contribution doesn't fit your budget, please consider spreading the word to those who might be interested in supporting this effort. If you don't want to use the Share function on the GoFundMe page, the following links can be forwarded via emails and text messages or used on a social media post. Full: https://www.gofundme.com/house-fire-at-dewey-beach
Shortened: https://gofund.me/c97c67c0
Thank you all very much.
Short Video of Fire Prior to Arrival of Firefighters
Backstory: The people in our beach house (we nicknamed it “The Granfalloon”) come together from towns in Delaware like Wilmington and Dover, as well towns in Pennsylvania, Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Over the years, it became a gathering place for our tight knit community, and its impact went far beyond those we know directly. Our “house mom” built upon its great bones – a deck facing sunsets over the bay, the end-of-season Brunch-on-Bayard tradition, proximity to other beach houses (and the greatest beach bars in DelMarVa) – and made this a very welcoming, loving place, for hundreds of people to come together to celebrate life and each other.
Dewey Beach Fire Damages Three Homes on Bayard Avenue
The outpouring of sympathy has been heartwarming, even overwhelming. We appreciate every post, phone call, and especially all the hugs. We are now processing all that we have lost and figuring out how to move forward.
Many people have expressed an interest in participating in the recovery effort, to help in any way they can. I created this crowdfunding campaign to provide that opportunity for anyone who wants to play some part in helping out.
How the funds will be used: My primary concern is helping to “make whole” those who were impacted by this fire. What does that mean? Anyone who has been through a bad fire knows there are quite a number of unforeseen, unrecoverable costs. There is never enough insurance, insurance will cover only a fraction of what was lost, there are additional costs for replacing (and being without) phones, automobiles, musical equipment (and lodging) for working musicians, computers, and so much more. I don’t know yet how much we'll collect or exactly how to allocate proceeds, but they'll go to helping these people recover. Depending on the success of this fundraising, we could help over two dozen people.
They did not ask for this. Most of our friends would prefer to just "deal with it" than to ask for a handout. However, it's about more than bills and recovering from what was lost: taking care of each other gives us and our community a sense of purpose. It reinforces that deep down people are kind, and it brings us all closer together. Isn't that what this is all about?
If you have a connection to this Dewey Beach community or were simply moved to help out, please consider contributing to this campaign, and we will see that your donation gets to those in need. Alternatively, consider donating to ANY fire station in Sussex county, as
many were called upon to prevent this fire from spreading. (Oh, and periodically test your smoke detectors - they actually save lives).
If a monetary contribution doesn't fit your budget, please consider spreading the word to those who might be interested in supporting this effort. If you don't want to use the Share function on the GoFundMe page, the following links can be forwarded via emails and text messages or used on a social media post. Full: https://www.gofundme.com/house-fire-at-dewey-beach
Shortened: https://gofund.me/c97c67c0
Thank you all very much.
Short Video of Fire Prior to Arrival of Firefighters
Backstory: The people in our beach house (we nicknamed it “The Granfalloon”) come together from towns in Delaware like Wilmington and Dover, as well towns in Pennsylvania, Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Over the years, it became a gathering place for our tight knit community, and its impact went far beyond those we know directly. Our “house mom” built upon its great bones – a deck facing sunsets over the bay, the end-of-season Brunch-on-Bayard tradition, proximity to other beach houses (and the greatest beach bars in DelMarVa) – and made this a very welcoming, loving place, for hundreds of people to come together to celebrate life and each other.
Organizer
Craig Sutton
Organizer
Rehoboth Beach, DE