39°
The fire broke out around 4:15 a.m. Thursday on the 1300 block of Tatum Street in West Deptford and spread to a neighboring home, leaving one woman dead and four others hurt. Several pets were also unaccounted for.
Among the victims were John Travis and his fiancee, Brittany. They were parents to a newborn baby, Jack Jack, and now they've lost everything.
Travis' 54-year-old mother, Jill, died in the fire. Friends of the Travis family launched fundraisers to help them rebuild:
"Devastatingly, they lost everything – their new home, their beloved cats, their car, and all their personal belongings," a GoFundMe page organizer wrote on a page for them. "Now, all they are left with are the clothes on their back."
In less than 24 hours, more than $9,000 had been contributed to support another family, the Benckerts. Their GoFundMe page organizers, April Kephart, wrote: "These are great people and a great family. Our hearts go out to them in their time of despair."
Another GoFundMe page sponsor, Gabrielle LoGrande, wrote: "Late last night the Travis home was destroyed in a house fire and they lost everything ... When I first met the Travis family they were so welcoming and nice to me and made me feel like I was part of their own family."
In just one day, over $13,000 had been contributed via these two fundraisers in support of the Travis family.
Additionally, residents were looking for cats lost in the fire. Two were spotted on Hessian Avenue.
"They're all very friendly cats and they will definitely respond to food," one person said in a Facebook group for missing pets.
"Their names are Oliver, Peter, Penelope, and Benjamin. They're my mom's cats and she loved them more than anything so please help my family."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Newark and receive free news updates.
