Family needs help after fire destroys home

A Sandusky family needs help getting back on their feet after a fire destroyed their home.

At 5:34 p.m., Dec. 5, some 14 firefighters from the city of Sandusky Fire Department and Perkins Fire Department arrived at the rental property located at 905 Filmore St., according to a spokesman from the Sandusky Fire Department.

“Smoke was coming out of the eaves when they arrived,” the spokesman said.

The firefighters “attacked the fire with water” until it was put out, he said.

The fire caused about $15,000 in property damage and another $5,000 worth of personal contents were destroyed, said Sandusky fire Capt. Matt Lesch.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the department.

Dewitt and Ella McDonald own the home, Lesch confirmed. The couple couldn’t be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the family received help from the American Red Cross, but they need further assistance, according to Red Cross volunteer Elizabeth Newman, the family’s caseworker.

“The family’s having trouble finding a place to live and also they could use money, but really they need an apartment and they can’t find one,” Newman said.

An account has been set up for the victims at Fifth Third Bank in the name of Trenda Dingus, according to the family’s Facebook page.

The family couldn’t be reached for comment, but Trenda Dingus wrote on her Facebook page early Sunday, “All I want for Christmas is a house to go home to just want to go home I miss my home.”

Finding help for displaced victims is difficult, according to American Red Cross program manager Lora Taylor.

“The biggest challenge with this case is they need housing,” Taylor said.

The Red Cross is working in conjunction with other charitable organizations such as United Way Erie County to assist the family.