Brighton Apartment Fire Update: Red Cross providing emergency lodging, food, clothing

Denver, CO – The American Red Cross Mile High Chapter is providing emergency assistance to 12 adults and 4 children displaced by a multi-unit apartment fire in Brighton last night.

The Red Cross is providing lodging through the weekend for eight people displaced by the fire and is also assisting all 16 displaced residents with individualized emergency assistance to meet their immediate needs, such as clothing, food, blankets, jackets and medications.

Mile High Chapter Chief Communications Officer Jim Rettew will be on scene at the site of the fire, 705 E. Bridge Street in Brighton , until 6:30 p.m. tonight for interviews.

Red Cross assistance is 100 percent free to those who need it. In addition to helping people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster such as last night’s fire, Red Cross workers also follow up with displaced residents to help them make it through the tough first days following a fire.

This assistance – which often includes direct financial aid to pay for key supplies – is made possible through the generosity of donors who give to the Red Cross throughout the year so that chapters are prepared to respond at a moment’s notice and provide aid. To help local residents affected by this and other such disasters, donate online at www.ColoradoRedCross.org/donate. The best way to help disaster victims in your community is to make a direct financial contribution, which enables the Red Cross to provide victims with the flexibility to purchase items that meet their specific, disaster-related needs.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.ColoradoRedCross.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter: Facebook.com/redcrossdenver and Twitter.com/redcrossdenver. .