Homeless Shelter Fire - Tragedy in Paris, Texas

by: othniel

Tue Jan 06, 2009 at 08:43 AM CST

As our society retrenches with the fall of our economy we cannot forget those already living on the edge.  I hope this event, coupled with the death of Jennifer Gale on the steps of the church where she slept in Austin last month, will serve as a clarion call.  Jennifer was unable to find a shelter in Austin where she could be accepted as a transgendered person.

Cross-Posted at Street Prophets and Daily Kos.

http://www.streetprophets.com/...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/...

A fire fueled by donated clothes ripped through a homeless shelter in this small Northeast Texas town early Monday, killing five residents as some tried dousing the blaze with pans of water.

* * *

The fire sent the shelter's residents scrambling outside into a frigid 30-degree rain.

"It went fast," said Roger Riemer, 49, who has lived at the shelter since September. "There was quite a few people trying to get it out, but it didn't work. It was just getting too hot. Smoke was billowing out of there so bad. There was nothing we could do."

When faith based organizations assume the governmental responsibility of shelter, "Caesar" must be allowed at least to insure the ministry operates according to law, and discriminates against none, lest another Jennifer fall through the cracks, or well intentioned parishioners miss simple safety regulations, thereby harming those they intend to serve.

The shelter was run by the nonprofit Seed Sowers Christians in Action. The fire didn't spread to most of the aging brick warehouse-like building, emblazoned with "Jesus Saves," but a chunk of roof collapsed and left a gaping hole.

Riemer and other shelter residents, huddling outside a makeshift shelter across the street, said they saw flames and felt intense heat coming off the table full of donated clothes. Paris Fire Marshall Dale Maberry said the table was being investigated as a possible "area of origin."

The shelter was among the few resources for the homeless in Paris.  Provisions have been made to shelter the men in a local church until long term provision can be made.

[Paris Fire Chief Ronnie]Grooms said he didn't immediately know whether the building, which did not have a sprinkler system, had been cited for code violations.

With so much donated clothing and furniture in the building, Grooms said "a lot of that would be considered a fire hazard."

Grooms said arson was not suspected.

Separation of Church and State does not mean the two cannot work together to solve social ills.  It does mean that neither may abrogate its separate mission or responsibility in doing so.

Mark 12:17, NASB:

And Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at Him.