Maryland fire victim stranded in hospital after wheelchair lost in blaze
Community comes together to help house fire victims after blaze at Westminster and Maryland
A woman who was rescued from her home during a massive blaze this weekend remains stranded in hospital after her wheelchair was destroyed in the fire.
Neda Procner was trapped in her home in Wolseley Saturday during a fire that destroyed her home, an apartment complex under construction and another home nearby. She and her sister Helen, who is in a wheelchair, were rescued by four firefighters, but they had to leave the wheelchair behind.
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As someone with a son who has disabilities, Fountain said the Procners' nightmarish story struck a chord and now she wants to help.
"It touched my heart thinking of how I would get my son out of my house if there'd been a fire," Fountain said. "The thought has crossed my mind numerous times and I know it's crossed the minds of other parents [and caregivers who] are part of our children with disabilities community."
Fountain said she can relate to the kind of dilemma Neda Procner was likely facing as the fire tore through her home, cornering she and her sister.
"That sheer panic of Neda, who was trying to get out of her house with her sister, and didn't want to leave her sister in the home to go and get help, but at the same time, knowing she had to get her sister out of the house … that juxtaposition of 'What do you do?'" Fountain said.
"The fear she must have been feeling, and the desperation."
Fountain is in the middle of renovating her home and plans to donate her kitchen table, along with furniture and clothes, to the Procners to help them get back on their feet. She also started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds to replace the wheelchair lost in the fire.
Fountain reached out to the non-profit group St. Amant and says they are working to line Helen up with a wheelchair temporarily so she can leave the hospital.
"The wheelchair is her ability; that's how she gets from 'a' to 'b.' It's something we take for granted," Fountain said. "Her basic need right now is a wheelchair, above everything else."
Adam Hannah lives in Wolseley and is collecting cash donations for the Procners and a family of four who also lost their home in the fire. He ran down the street to wake the family before fire crews arrived on the scene Saturday.
"I have kids of the same age and I think it doesn't take a lot of imagination for us to put ourselves in their position," he said, adding people started dropping donations at his house "almost immediately" after the fire.
Helen's acquaintance Edna Nabess is collecting cash and clothing donations at her store Cree Creations.
"When you see someone in need you should help them," Nabess said. "There is a need. If we can help, we should help."
Westminster Church is also accepting cash donations on behalf of the families. There will be a public community event at noon Saturday. Food and drinks will be served and a conversation will take place about how the crisis has affected the community.
With files from CBC's Erin Brohman