Nearly 40 people in Norristown do not have a place to call home for Thanksgiving after theirs were heavily damaged in Wednesday’s fire.
Some of the displaced families spent their holiday at a nearby shelter as they continue to recover.
“I came to this door like four times today just looked across the street at all the houses, like wow that really happened,” said Bernon Perry, who lives across the street from where the fire happened.
Perry is still in disbelief about the fire on Lafayette Street. He says he is keeping his neighbors in his thoughts and prayers. Perry says the tragic fire puts things into perspective for him on this Thanksgiving day.
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“On how fast you can lose it all and tragedy can strike,” he said.
Perry was one of the first on the scene. He went door to door to door to make sure everyone could get to safety.
“It was pandemonium. That smoke was coming out of there and then it just turned into flames,” he said.
The fire ultimately damaged 10 homes, displacing 39 people. Some of the affected families are staying at a Norristown middle school for the holiday while the American Red Cross works to help them get back on their feet.
Alana Mauger with the American Red Cross says seven families are still staying at the shelter and they will be there for as long as they need.
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“We are making sure that people have their immediate needs taken care of, we are providing them with comfort and care, a safe place to sleep, meals, other services that they need.”
The Ebenezer Foundation in Norristown is also stepping up to help the families, partnering with local organizations to raise at least $1,000 for each family ahead of Christmas.
Meantime, Perry is feeling grateful no one was injured in the fire, but his heart hurts for his neighbors, knowing their lives will never be the same
“I wouldn’t put that on no one,” he said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
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