KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Families displaced by the fire at a Kissimmee hotel on Thursday returned to the Council on Aging Monday after spending Christmas at a Disney World hotel.
Around 200 people met with The Red Cross personnel to determine their needs and where they will go after losing many of their belongs in the three-alarm fire at Unno Boutique Hotel on Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway.
The fire victims were offered accommodations at a Disney World Resort hotel for Christmas Day.
In just three days people have raised $18,000 for the victims. The money will help house 47 families for a week at area hotels.
Another $3,000 in gift cards were donated.
"Right now these people are trying to have long term needs and so gift cards and cash are going to be the way to address those," Osceola County public information officer Mark Pino said.
Members of the Central Florida community continued to drop off donations Monday for the people affected by the fire.
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"We were grateful. Like, Kissimmee they came through. We were all excited. We're happy and we're grateful," Jesus Santos, a fire victim, said.
Donations have filled up entire rooms at the Council, according to officials. People are also dropping off gift cards for the displaced families.
A chunk of Monday's donations came from fire departments around Osceola County.
Osceola County firefighter Geoff Galvin helped work the fire Friday.
"As I was leaving the fire my wife, who is actually a first grade teacher at the school that most of these kids (go to) called and said 'hey, let's do something,'" Galvin said.
After Galvin posted on Facebook about the fire donations came by the droves.
"As firefighters we see people at their worst right when it happens so this is something else that we can do to go above and beyond what we're actually paid to do," Galvin said.
The Council on Aging announced Monday afternoon they are no longer accepting donated clothing items, but gift cards and money are still needed for the victims.
People can donate at Osceola.org, officials said.
Osceola fire Chief Daniel McAvoy said the fire started in an area of the hotel that wasn't occupied because it was under construction. The blaze spread through the hotel's attic to some occupied rooms, but no injuries were reported.
McAvoy said the fire might have started because of the construction.
A state fire marshal investigation is continuing.
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