A family of five are now homeless after their Chalan Pago home went up in flames Wednesday afternoon.
Guam Fire Department received the call of a home in Sgt. Cruz Street in Chalan Pago being engulfed by fire.
According to GFD Spokesman Kevin Reilly, the blaze broke out in a wood and tin storage area attached to the concrete residence.
Ordot-Chalan Pago Mayor Jessy Gogue told PNC that the family of five includes three children ranging in age from 5 to 13 years old.
The family is still in the process of assessing their losses but their spirits are good.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mayor Jessy Gogue’s name was inadvertently misspelled in the video. We apologize for the error.
“Their spirits are pretty good. But obviously, having to suffer through this kind of devastation, you know there’ve been tears amongst the couple and their kids. But, for the most part, their spirits are pretty good given the circumstances because at the end of the day what they realized and I believe what they understand is that nobody got hurt,” Gogue said.
He added that when the fire broke in the storage shed, the mother and her three children were inside the home. The mother got her children out of the home but the fire moved so quickly, efforts to extinguish the flames with a garden hose were futile.
The family of five is now homeless and the mayor is doing what he can to assist. However, that assistance is delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic and the closures of government offices and nonprofits like Red Cross.
“The assistance is not as immediate as it normally would be if we were under normal operating conditions. So there’s a delay, but nonetheless they have stepped up and they have been in contact with myself and the family in providing the needed assistance,” the mayor said.
He added that arrangements for donations will be coordinated at a later date. However, he reminds the community that despite the GovGuam closure, mayors’ offices islandwide are still open and ready to assist their constituents.
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