Faith leaders, community organizations helping Moab mobile home park fire victims

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MOAB — Residents of a Moab mobile home park were let back into their trailer homes Tuesday, two days after a fire tore through the neighborhood and destroyed several units.

The entire neighborhood had been blocked off as crews worked to restore power and water following Sunday's fire.

Gary Hazen was one of the people who returned Tuesday to see if anything was salvageable. His home of 28 years burned to the ground.

"It was my whole life — all my writings, all my paperwork, all my records," he said.

A Vietnam veteran, Hazen lost all his ribbons and military memorabilia. His POW and American flags now hang tattered from his flagpole.

Hazen described coming home to his neighborhood Sunday afternoon and seeing thick, dark smoke rising into the air from miles away. Videos show people jumping in to pick up fire hoses in an attempt to douse the houses and put the flames out.

But the blaze was just too intense.

"There was nothing I could about it. There was nothing anybody could do about it," he said.

Moab Valley Fire said the fire destroyed six mobile homes and damaged four more. On Tuesday, investigators were still figuring out how the fire started.

Hazen came back, hoping some items in a charred truck camper next to his trailer were salvageable. But his neighbors, including a woman with three children and a couple with their daughter and daughter's boyfriend, have nothing they can save.

"It's the responsibility of all community members, but especially the faith community, to step up and support people who have been harmed," said Nathan James, pastor at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Spanish Valley.

After hearing the news and seeing the footage, he called an emergency meeting for the Grand County Faith Based Coalition, which he chairs.

He described how they're identifying help in the form of funds, housing and resources. A couple of churches have offered temporary housing for two weeks, he indicated.

"Then there's also material needs, and we're trying to distill a clear list of the material needs," James said. "What kind of furniture is needed? How much? What kind of clothing or hygiene items and how much, and food items."

It's that kind of help that keeps Hazen going. He said his phone has been ringing nonstop since Sunday, with people calling and wondering what they can do.

He was able to save a few items from his truck camper.

Hazen is staying positive, saying his stuff can be replaced.

"I'm giving it to God, and I have a great faith in that," he said.

And he's staying thankful as people and organizations surround him with support.

"The community of Moab is awesome. They are … I am totally overwhelmed," he said.

James and the Grand County Faith Base Coalition have set up three ways for people to donate* to the fire victims:

Online:

Click here. Enter the amount you are giving under the "Local Church" heading in the blank designated for "Mobile Home Park Fire" and follow the prompts at the bottom of the page. No funds are held for administration or management fees and all donations will be placed entirely to the stated need, organizers said.

In person:

At the Moab Branch of Zions Bank – tell them the donation is for the Moab Seventh-day Adventist Church fund for the Mobile Home Park fire victims

By mail:

Moab Seventh-day Adventist Church

4581 Spanish Valley Drive

Moab, UT 84532

Make checks payable to the Moab Seventh-day Adventist Church and write "Mobile Home Park Fire Victims" in the memo line.

*Disclaimer: KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit or donation you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.