MONSON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A house fire in Monson is bringing a community together. Tuesday’s five-alarm fire tore through a multi-family home on Lower Hampden Road, leaving several injured and families with a huge loss. On Thursday, neighbors are stepping up to help.

The Monson Together group is at the forefront of this, trying to gather clothes, food, or even personal care products, anything they can provide that’s going to help the victims get back on their feet. It was a battle to get a raging fire under control on Tuesday evening, as fire crews in Monson and several surrounding towns spent 2 hours putting out flames at 433 Lower Hampden Road.

Given the size of the 3 story home, it was difficult for firefighters, especially with temperatures reaching north of 90 degrees, “I believe it was the hottest day of the year so far. You know, a lot of our firefighters are paid on call. They’re not full-time here. They work normal jobs outside of here. One of ours that was a transporter was a construction worker working in the sun all day,” said Monson Fire Chief Brian Harris.

Both firefighters were admitted for heat exhaustion and have been released from the hospital. Monson resident Amy Otto, a friend of one of families who lived at the house, says that it was a devastating fire, and she described that the families “lost everything”.

But the community is stepping up, as a local group called Monson Together is organizing donations for the victims of the fire, whether that be clothing, food or anything that can help the families.

“We’ve been very fortunate. We have almost 200 families. And that translates to over 600 people, almost 650 people. And they visit us whenever,” said Peter Matrow of Monson Together.

Matrow works at the Monson Together Community Cupboard on Green Street told us that Monson has always been a community that helps others when they are in need, “the community has a record, a history of coming through for people in need. And these folks have lost everything. I think all of us will be able to get them back on their feet.”

Matrow said that anything that you think could help the victims get through this difficult time, Monson Together will accept and get it to those families. The location on 24 Green Street will leave the box on the side porch.

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