Back St. Louis, Monday, June 26, 2006 – Disaster Action Teams from the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter responded to five St. Louis house fires over the weekend. Two of the fires occurred early Friday morning, one in the 900-block of Hamilton and another in the 3800-block of Cook in the City of St. Louis. The Red Cross responded to two house fires on Saturday in the 5500-block of Mable in North County and in the 8600-block of N. Broadway. A fifth fire occurred on Sunday afternoon in the 8500-block of Idaho in South County. Red Cross volunteers were on the scene at each fire providing support for emergency responders and immediate care for families who lost their homes and personal belongings in the fires. In all, the Red Cross workers helped 19 people with immediate shelter, food, clothing, and other needs. Today, caseworkers are meeting with the five families who were affected by these fires; casework involves making sure families have a safe place to stay, warm food on the table, making sure immediate needs—including medical needs—are met, and connecting families with community resources to help with long-term recovery. About Red Cross Emergency Services: The American Red Cross provides immediate assistance with food, clothing, shelter and other needs in the wake of disasters and emergencies. The Red Cross is able to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide a vast array of programs and services throughout the region due to the dedication of thousands of volunteers that give freely of their time. All Red Cross disaster relief assistance is free of charge, thanks to generous public support.  For more information about volunteer opportunities, emergency services or a variety of other programs provided by the organization, please call 314.516.2800, or log on to the St. Louis Area Chapter’s website at www.redcrossstl.org.  About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter: Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter provides emergency and preparedness assistance more than 407,000 times each year. The Red Cross depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and 100 staff to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois. # # #

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