Frustration is building among dozens of families who can’t return home right now following fire damage in their apartment building.

For some, it’s been more than a month. They recently met with the Hartford mayor and they’re hopeful their calls for help are soon answered.

Following fire damage and thefts at the Concord Hills Apartments in Hartford, Martavia Kirkland is thankful for the support of the community.

“I’m happy and I’m appreciative. Very appreciative of it, because I actually need all the help I can get right now. I’m out of work due to the fire, not being able to go and get clothes to go to work,” Kirkland said.

Kirkland is among about 60 families staying in area hotels and are now receiving help from an organization called Angel of Edgewood.

“These families are really struggling and, you know, we just can’t say it enough. And the time is just like ticking,” Jendayi Scott-Miller, Angel of Edgewood founder and CEO, said.

Hartford Fire says the flames that led to so many being displaced likely started because of a malfunction with an air conditioner back in August.

Then, police say 26 units were ransacked, including Kirkland’s.

“It’s overwhelming, it’s upsetting, frustrating. But, you know, all we could do is have faith and hope,” Kirkland said.

Angel of Edgewood is offering what it can, dropping off everything from gift cards, to laundry detergent, to toys for the kids.

“It’s really sad. It’s a really sad situation and it needs to be addressed fairly quickly. They need some compensation. There needs to be accountability,” Scott-Miller said.

On Friday, some met with the Hartford mayor who was hopeful many could return home in the coming weeks as repairs are done.

Residents were looking for reimbursement for food and stolen items, as well as improved temporary housing.

“I definitely need it. Like I said, I’m pregnant right now and I’m also diabetic. So I do need to cook certain foods at certain times. And I can’t do that here because they don’t have a big kitchen for me. So I do need something better,” Kirkland said.

The mayor’s office said there might be an update about improving the temporary housing as soon as Tuesday.

The complex has not returned requests for comment.

Sept. 15 marked the start of Hispanic Heritage Month which celebrates Hispanic culture, history and achievements.

On Monday, students at the Naylor School in Hartford came together to celebrate with an Olympic-themed pep rally.

“This is just to get everyone excited and remind them why they need to come to school everyday,” principal Alesia Ettson said. “And celebrate our very diverse culture that we have here.”

Ettson estimates that 50 to 75% of her 400 students come from Hispanic backgrounds.

“I hope that they get the excitement for their culture,” bilingual resource teacher Jackie Ithier said. “They go home and they can talk to mommy and daddy to learn more about their culture.”

Arlyanis Toro is one of those students. Toro is Puerto Rican and said she enjoys the food.

“The Spanish people finally get to be noticed and get to be loved for who they are,” she said. “It’s important for all Spanish, because some Spanish people get bullied because they talk another language.”

Others like Francine Eto aren’t Hispanic, but are eager to learn.

“I’m very excited, I’m very excited,” said Eto, who is Tanzanian. “They speak different languages, different skin color and also different hairstyles.”

She said she looks forward to learning Spanish in the future.

The warm and dry weather pattern that has been in place for most of September continues into the new workweek.

The average high temperature at Windsor Locks is 76 degrees and we’ll be well above the average both today and tomorrow.

High pressure will bring lots of sunshine through the day today. Some wildfire smoke will blend with the sunshine this afternoon.

Above average temperatures will continue on Tuesday with high temperatures away from the shore once again in the low 80s.

Clouds and cooler temperatures will move in to the state by Wednesday as tropical moisture moves in from the Carolina Coastline.