On Aug. 25, the Millcreek City Council passed a resolution to increase the funding provided to the victims of the Willow Glen Apartments fire.

Just a month earlier, on July 25, a grass fire escalated and devastated the Willow Glen Apartments. Despite efforts from the Unified Fire Authority and over 100 responding officers, the fire displaced 79 residents and destroyed 24 apartment units.

The council has been discussing the fire and best practices to provide relief for those impacted. The damage was so extensive that displaced families were not able to return to their units to retrieve any surviving belongings. Mayor Jeff Silvestrini emphasized the devastation these people are experiencing to the council and attendees, remarking that those living in the impacted units "all lost everything." 

August: Millcreek councilmembers and Unified Police Department staff pose for a photo. (Alexandra Straumann/City Journals)

The councilmembers themselves expressed sorrow for the loss these families are experiencing. Because of this, the council emphasized the need to provide monetary support for these families to start to rebuild.

To facilitate providing further relief, Silvestrini proposed Ordinance 25-33 to the council, which would allow for the financial contribution allocated to residents displaced by the fire to increase up to $11,500. In accordance with state law, a study was conducted by an independent third party to determine if spending city funds for said cause aligns with the broader community goals. 

While the mayor acknowledged that there was no doubt these funds were being used for good, due to the emergency nature of the situation, this study was not done prior to the initial disbursement of funds. He emphasized the need to conduct the proper measures for the sake of the community, and the study concluded that allocating these funds for this purpose is in accordance with the best interests of the community. The council opened up the Ordinance to public comment to which there was none, and a motion to approve was set forward by Councilmember Thom DeSirant, and Councilmember Cheri Jackson. The council then voted unanimously to approve the allocation of funds.

The community rallying together in the wake of these events was praised by the council, and Jackson thanked the public and the volunteers for giving back to the community in this way, and she added that she was "glad we as a city were able to offer this support to residents” and the mayor agreed that the "magnitude of loss" made this a truly extraordinary event, "requiring an extraordinary response."

Following this, the council considered Ordinance 25-34, which would allocate additional non-monetary services for those residents displaced by the fires. Immediately following the disaster, the Red Cross provided a temporary evacuation center for displaced residents, and in the following weeks there has been an outpouring of community support and fundraising. Thousands of dollars were raised to support these families, allowing for a sizeable increase in funds available to support them.

The ordinance was passed with no public comment.

In addition to the community support and the aid from the firefighters, the Unified Police Department responded to the fire by assisting in evacuations, accounting for residents and retrieving pets from apartments. 

The Millcreek Precinct Chief Christine Petty-Brown recognized some of the responding officers for their efforts while fighting the fire, which received a standing ovation from the council. Some members of the Unified Fire Authority of Millcreek were also in attendance for the session and were subsequently applauded by the council and mayor for their work in responding to the disaster. Many fire departments in the valley provided personnel to assist in responding to this fire, emphasizing the importance of community teamwork during a disaster.