Reading family who escaped flames grateful for relief drive

Jackie Thinna was asleep in the fourth-floor apartment he shares with his parents when he was woken by a loud bang.

“I thought someone was breaking in the door,” he said.

Thinna, 42, said he left his room to investigate. That is when he smelled smoke and saw flames.

He quickly woke his parents, Valerie Thinna, 65, and James Munford, 70.

“I just focused on just getting them out,” he said. “I was worried because it was getting hard to breathe.”

Coughing from the thickening smoke, the family fled the encroaching fire with nothing but the pajamas they were wearing.

Thinna and his parents were among 38 residents, including 10 children, displaced Sept. 3 when an early morning three-alarm fire roared through two adjoining six-unit apartment buildings in the 100 block of North Fifth Street.

The blaze also forced the temporary closure of Ma Patisserie Café & Bakery, a small business that opened just over a year ago.

Assessments begin day after fire displaced 38 residents of downtown Reading apartment buildings

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Thinna shared the story of his family’s escape with the Reading Eagle at a support drive for the fire victims Monday afternoon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading hotel, 701 Penn St.

For three hours, a continuous stream of community members stopped outside the hotel lobby, dropping off new clothing, shoes, household items, toys and gift cards for the families affected.

The event was organized by Mayor Eddie Moran and his staff.

The gift cards were especially appreciated, Moran said, as they will give families the flexibility to purchase the items most needed.

“One person, who wants to remain anonymous, came and dropped off 10 $50 gift cards,” the mayor said.

Individuals and area businesses, stepped up to help, he noted.

Moran said he reached out to the DoubleTree management, who agreed to host the event.

The next call was to Jim Boscov, chairman and CEO of Boscov’s Department Stores.

“He said, ‘Just let me know what sizes you need,’” Moran said, noting the department store committed to providing clothing and shoes to fire victims.

Moran also called Leopoldo Sanchez, president of Supernatural Produce, which has two locations in Reading, and Gary M. Redner, CEO of Berks County-based Redner’s Markets.

“Mr. Sanchez told me, ‘Eddie, count on 25 gift cards,’” Moran said. “And Mr. Redner immediately told me, ‘Count on 25 gift cards.”’

Weis Markets, Chick-fil-A and other area stores and restaurants also offered to help, Moran said.

“We’re really grateful for the outpouring of love,” the mayor said. “You can see people from all walks of life continuing to drive up with donations. Our community is coming together for the betterment of those in need.”

Moran said he spoke with donors from throughout Berks County and beyond.

The mayor said his staff reached out to the Reading School District’s case managers, who identified students affected by the fire and are working with the city to ensure they receive needed supplies.

American Red Cross caseworkers are working with individuals and families to develop personalized recovery plans and connect them with community resources to help them get back on their feet, officials said.

Only five were receiving emergency lodging, officials said. The rest found shelter with friends or relatives.

Thinna said he and his parents are among those staying temporarily with friends while they hunt for a two-bedroom apartment.

“We are really trying hard to find a new place to stay,” he said, “but it is hard to find an affordable apartment.”

His family is grateful the mayor and staff organized the relief drive, Thinna said.

“We need everything: Clothes, shoes, kitchenware, furniture, you name it,” he said.

Thinna, who has a job in construction and does work as a freelance writer and blogger, said he lost his tools, cellphone and computer, all items he relies on for work.

The family also lost what cash they had on hand, a few hundred dollars, he said, and all their documents.

He and some other tenants were permitted last week to retrieve valuables from apartments that were safe enough to enter. Thinna was able to salvage only his father’s wallet with a few scorched bills and ruined identification cards.

Loss of their computer and cellphones complicates replacing items such as driver’s licenses and insurance and credit cards that can usually be ordered online, he noted.

“We spent a day waiting in the Social Security office,” he said.

Despite their losses, the family remains optimistic and grateful to be alive.

“There is no point in crying about it,” he said. “We lost all our stuff, but we made it out. We didn’t die.”

Investigation of the fire is still underway, Reading Fire Marshal Jeremy Searfoss said Monday.

Tthough Thinna and some others reported hearing a loud bang or sound like an explosion, Searfoss said a natural gas explosion has been ruled out as there are no gas lines to the buildings involved.

Source: Berkshire mont