After the Fire
By Penny Hummel; Item Writer

Families and business owners are still recovering from the March 5 fire in downtown Hamburg.It's been six weeks since the historic blaze destroyed two buildings on S. Fourth Street in Hamburg. Eight families had their lives changed by the fire, and while life is slowly returning to normal, the memories of what happened on March 5 remain. On that evening, the Salvation Army Service Center, Hamburg, opened its doors to the displaced families and allowed staff from the American Red Cross to use their offices to make arrangements for families to spend the night in a near-by hotel. The Salvation Army continues to help some of the effected families. "Only a couple have contacted us, really," said Jean Yurkonis of the Salvation Army. "They haven't fully used the services." Heather Wagner's family certainly has, though. "They've been in constant contact with us," Wagner said of the Salvation Army. "It's been a long road, let me tell you." She lived on the third floor of the Curves building with her husband, John, and her four children. They lost everything in the blaze, including three pets which haven't been seen since. "We couldn't get in until the day after the fire, for about 20 minutes," Wagner said. All she could salvage that day were a few seasonal decorations from an outside closet. She couldn't get in again until April 11. "My gosh! What a mess!" Wagner exclaimed. "I'm just trying to find closure," she said. "You can't see the bed, dresser or TV in our bedroom, nothing!" She said her daughter's cheerleading memorabilia was lost, as well as all of her scrapbooks. An avid scrapbooker, she was able to find a few pictures which she used last weekend when she spent some time with her sisters to work on scrapbooks. "It's my get-away time with my sisters," Wagner said. "I couldn't find much, but (I did) it anyway."She was also able to find a small amount of money her son had in his dresser drawer. "They're missing the sentimental stuff," Wagner said of her children. It's been a rough month for Wagner and her family, but she's grateful for family and friends who have helped her. "I couldn't have gotten through it without eveyone's support," she said, explaining members of the Moose and Lions club, organizations to which she belongs, have helped her family. The day after the fire, Kim Kehs, owner of Yarns R Us, Hamburg, told Wagner of an apartment she knew was available, and put her in touch with the owners. "It's just amazing," Wagner said. They were in their new home in three weeks. Jeffrey Aguiar's experience has been similar. The day of the fire, he sent his children to their grandparents home so they wouldn't see the devastation. "We lost all of our furniture and clothes,"Aguiar said. "It's been a mess," he said, adding that it took his landlord a full month to return his rent and security deposit. He said his family has also found a new home in Hamburg, and that things are somewhat back to normal. He said that Deitrich's Mens Shop, Hamburg, provided him with a new wardrobe. "That guy is amazing. He's like a saint," the grateful Aguiar said. He's also received help from Sonshine Day Care, the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. "They helped us out a ton," he said of the Salvation Army. "They're like the most amazing organization out there." "The material things we replaced," he said. But he'll never replace the memory of that day.