Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsFirefighters with the Dalton Fire Department bring medicine and other essentials to residents on Friday. Twenty units at Park Canyon apartments were destroyed in an early-morning fire.

DALTON, Ga. — Since she was awoken Friday morning to the jarring screams of “Fire! Fire! Fire!”, Evelyn Musili Ndeti says she has had trouble sleeping. Losing just about everything will have that effect.

But the Dalton State College education major and soon-to-be-bride who will be getting married in 2018 puts a pretty positive spin on things after an early-morning fire destroyed all 20 units at 700 building at Park Canyon Apartments.

“We are getting married in September so this is a fresh start all together,” said Ndeti, who along with her fiance were part of the crowd of people who stood in the cold watching the complex burn before the dawn. “We look at it like you know what, I needed some new shoes. We laugh but it has been tough.”

What has made it easier for Ndeti and others who are without a home has been the generosity of the community. Red Cross responders from the area were on the scene almost as quickly as Dalton Fire Department trucks, which battled the blaze off Park Canyon Drive just north of Dalton State College.

Glenda Hoven, the manager of the apartment complex, said she has been inundated with donations and with calls from the community asking how to help.

“It has been a little overwhelming,” Hoven said. “It has been heartwarming and overwhelming at the same time. Cash donations have been set up with a bank account on our Facebook page, and hopefully we can get it divided amongst the people. A lot of people have brought clothes and things like that by, but we really don’t need much more of that.”

Dalton Fire Department Chief Todd Pangle said the fire has been ruled accidental and the investigation is closed. Finding a cause would be difficult, he said..

“We pretty much had a determination of where it started on Friday, but trying to pinpoint exactly what started it is going to be hard because of the damage,” Pangle said. “We are going to rule it accidental without a real cause. It did start on the first floor in one of the apartments in the end. Trying to pinpoint the exact cause will be nearly impossible because of the extent of the damage.”

Regardless of the cause, the residents of the 20 units in the complex are forced to find new housing and pick up the charred pieces during the holiday season. Hoven said a GoFundMe page has been set up for the victims of the fire and is linked on the company’s Facebook page. She said all deposits and pro-rated portions of the December rent will be returned to the residents. Hoven is working with other apartment complexes and individuals to find more permanent housing for those displaced by the fire. The complex is owned by HMI Enterprise of Atlanta.

“We have just a few apartments coming up, but that won’t be until January,” Hoven said. “It was very tough. Words can’t even describe how we felt. There is one lady who doesn’t have any family, and her glasses got burnt up. We got her to the optometrist first thing this morning. The community as a whole has just been overwhelming. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many phone calls and people who have reached.”

Carla Maten, the disaster program manager with the Northwest Georgia Red Cross, said her agency is helping each resident.

“When we go out to house fires, we set up a case for each family and set up a recovery plan and refer them to other agencies if they need food or clothing,” Maten said. “Also, there is financial assistance for immediate need, case workers will be getting in touch with people and seeing what they need and the next steps. Dalton has had a tremendous amount of folks to step up. We had Rock Bridge and First United Methodist Church on the scene on Friday. Since then, I have had so many calls from businesses just asking how they could help. One of the local locksmiths, The Lock Guys, came out and opened up car doors so people could get in their cars. The response has been tremendous.”

Maten said they have had several donations of clothes and personal hygiene items, but said the best gift is money.

“The best communication I have been given out to folks is if they want to make a financial donation to Red Cross,” she said. “I have been trying to guide folks to other agencies if they have items they want to donate, but these people are staying in temporary housing and financial help and gift cards and things like that would go a long way.”

Ndeti said the outpouring of help has been inspiring.

“Things are going great, considering, and I think a lot of it has to do with all of the help we have gotten from the community,” she said. “Christmas is still kind of a big deal for us, but we have gotten so much help it has been unbelievable.”