After devastating fire, Meadowbrook family buys home with aid

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Miguel Candelaria was one of many Meadowbrook Apartments tenants who stood helplessly outside Building 21 in April, watching everything inside his family's home burn to ashes.

But in a remarkable turn of events, the fire that consumed his home of six years initiated an unexpected outpouring of support that helped him and his wife, Chrystal, become first-time homeowners.

Candelaria's third-floor apartment was situated directly above the unit where a discarded cigarette ignited another tenant's bedroom. After smelling smoke, he was among the first tenants in the building to see the fire, which destroyed the building, killed many pets and left 22 tenants homeless.

"My apartment was one of the worst hit in terms of damage," Candelaria said. "Everything in our bedroom was completely destroyed."

Incredible recoveries

Several days after the fire, Candelaria found himself in line with other displaced tenants outside the gutted building, while management allowed them inside one at a time, granting each 15 minutes to survey the damage and collect any belongings that survived the blaze.

Candelaria's priority, he said, was the hard drive to his desktop computer, which contained hundreds of pictures of his family and videos of holidays they had celebrated together.

After retrieving the severely damaged computer, Candelaria said, he raced over to a local electronics repair store and asked an employee if the shop could save the hard drive.

"I believe in God, and I was praying the whole time I drove over there that they could save my memories," Candelaria said. "While she was transferring the data, the girl at the store kept warning me that my hard drive was going to die at any second, and as soon as the last tiny bit of data transferred, it shut down. It hung on just long enough to save the files."

Another irreplaceable belonging that survived the fire was Chrystal's wedding dress, which Candelaria said was the only item in his bedroom that wasn't consumed by flames.

"My apartment was decimated and there was one tiny little spot in the bedroom that didn't burn and that was where my wife's wedding dress happened to be," Candelaria said. "I have pictures of that room and if you saw them you would never have thought that anything would have made it."

Candelaria's family was one of many who were relocated to another of the complex's apartment buildings. They were moved to Building 5, less than a hundred yards from their former home.

Outpouring of support

In the days following the fire, the Candelarias found themselves looking to replace not only burned furniture and electronics but even the bare essentials. Candelaria said it was only through selfless donations from their neighbors, friends, co-workers and family that they were helped back on their feet.

Employees at Amherst Woodworking in Northampton, where Chrystal Candelaria works, provided the family with financial help as well as the basics, including pots, pans and comforters. Miguel Candelaria's co-workers at Valley Machine Knife in West Springfield collected donations aimed at replacing common household items lost in the fire. And the Candelarias' church, the Cornerstone Chapel on Bridge Road, held a tag and bake sale to benefit his family.

"People helped us out immensely," Candelaria said. "They did so much for us."

Days after the fire, Candelaria's friend, Owen Mohan, started a fund at the Bank of Western Massachusetts to help the family make ends meet. He knew the Candelarias had been hoping to some day own a home of their own.

"I saw Chrystal two days before the fire, and I never saw her more excited about becoming a homeowner," Mohan said. "They were talking about getting some help from some family members to put together a down payment. Then two days later, we all got the news about their apartment."

After getting permission from the Candelarias, Mohan said he started the fund and began sending out emails to everyone he knew, explaining their situation.

"We spread the word at a grassroots level. We all opened up our address books and our email accounts and crafted a nice email that would explain their story, and even attached the photos and links to the Gazette articles," Mohan said. "I have to say, people were great and opened up and gave back to this family. You couldn't ask for a nicer couple."

Within a few months, donations from the Candelarias' friends, family and co-workers enabled them to make a down payment on the family's new Spring Street home. They were able to close on the purchase of the home late last month, paying $197,750 for the dwelling, according to Registry of Deeds records.

Although support from the local community helped all of the displaced tenants replace items lost in the fire, Candelaria said he never would have dreamed the fund Mohan started would put him in the position to move his family into a house.

"Before the fire, we were at the point where we were fed up with apartment life, but we never thought we could ever afford a house," Candelaria said.

The current state of the local housing market, government incentives for first-time home buyers and information gleaned from classes provided by the Valley Community Development Corp. all contributed to their success in finding a new home, Candelaria said.

"Everything came to a head at the right time," Candelaria said. "When I look back on everything that happened, I just realize that God works in mysterious ways and that everything happens for a reason."

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.