BATESVILLE – In the wake of a fire this weekend, the executive director of Safe Passage, Inc. is expressing gratitude toward community members that offered a lending hand.
A fire ravaged the playground area leaving a blanket of black smoke over downtown Batesville Sunday afternoon.
Safe Passage Executive Director Jane Yorn told us there were somewhere around fifty good samaratians approaching her within an hour of the fire offering money or help with the cleanup.
“The Batesville United Methodist Church had sixteen people here, you know, just working. There were a lot of other great community partners that just showed up and said ‘what can we do to help,’ we couldn’t have gotten people back to safety without that level of support,” Yorn said.
Nearby restaurants Randy’s Roadhouse and Ison’s Family Pizza provided meals for those impacted by the fire. St. Johns United Church of Christ Pastor Dave Johnston also stopped in to offer help to the organization.
The non-profit is currently assessing damages and determining the following steps. Yorn mentioned she also appreciates the response from firefighters and police.
“Our first responders did an incredible job of getting this under control very quickly and assessing the situation which could have been so much worse, if they hadn’t done the job they did,” praised Yorn.
Anyone wanting to speak with Safe Passage can reach the organization at (812) 933-1990.
