Here's how local agencies are helping tenants displaced by Autumn Lakes fire

MISHAWAKA — Tenants living at Autumn Lakes Apartment and Townhomes were abruptly evacuated as a fire spread through their building the night of Aug. 27.

Some grabbed what they could — car keys, their phone, pets — while the rest of their things remained on the other side of the flames. No one was hurt from the fire that broke out after 10 p.m. Aug. 27, but in the aftermath, tenants were left without a home and with few belongings.

Agencies throughout St. Joseph County lent a helping hand — providing money, assistance and supplies — to help the affected tenants survive in the meantime.

American Red Cross helped financially

The American Red Cross provided financial assistance to help replace the things affected tenants lost in the fire, Isis Chaverri, the regional communications director of the Indiana Northwest Chapter Red Cross, said. She said that all of the affected tenants who sought assistance had renter's insurance. The Red Cross did not need to provide shelter because everyone had a place to stay, Chaverri said.

In addition, the Red Cross also offers health services, such as help with lost medications or mental and emotional support. As of Aug. 30, no tenants had requested mental and emotional support, but it is available to them if they need it, Chaverri said.

Courtyard by Marriott provided temporary housing

Temporary housing was provided from the Courtyard by Marriott at Courtyard Mishawaka-University Area. All affected tenants had a place to stay the night of the fire, a press release from the city of Mishawaka said.

Marriott has a TakeCare Relief Fund to assist in some U.S. locations for people facing financial hardships caused by natural disasters, its website said. A hotel supervisor didn't say how many Autumn Lakes tenants were staying there or how long their stay would be but said there's a plan in place.

Lost pets reunited by the Humane Society of St. Joseph County

The Humane Society of St. Joseph County worked to reunite pets with their owners after the fire, even offering to house pets if tenants didn't know where they were going to stay, the Humane Society's outreach coordinator, Sarah Stanton, said. Several pets, including many cats and one lizard, were rescued, the press release said.

Stanton didn't know if all the lost pets were brought back to their owners. She encouraged anyone looking for a lost pet to fill out a lost pet form and also check the South Bend Animal Resource Center or the Elkhart Humane Society in case a pet was loose in South Bend or was found and driven to Elkhart and got lost again.

South Bend Police dropped off supplies

The South Bend Police Department utilized its food pantry, stocked with canned foods, toiletries, hygiene products and baby supplies, to deliver supplies to affected tenants at Autumn Lakes on Aug. 29. Officers also started the giving season early, knowing some children were affected, and used supplies collected for the Fraternal Order of Police's #36 Santa Elficer's Program to give kids toys, Ashley O'Chap, communications director with the SBPD, said.

Officers heard about the fire and thought, "We've got the stuff here. It's not necessarily just for people in South Bend, it's really for anyone who needs it," O'Chap said.

Status of the investigation

Fire marshals with the Mishawaka Fire Department Prevention Bureau and the Indiana State Fire Marshal are currently investigating the cause of the blaze. As of Aug. 30, that investigation is still underway.

Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Community rises to support Mishawaka apartment tenants after fire