The Durango Police Department will accept donations from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday to benefit victims of last week’s townhome fire.
The Durango Police Department will accept donations from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday to benefit victims of last week’s townhome fire.Courtesy of Durango Police Department

Residents wanting to support victims of last week’s Tercero Townhouse fire can help “Fill the Cop Car” Thursday at the Durango Police Department.

Donations will be accepted from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the police station, 990 East Second Ave. Police are asking for toys; housewares; bedding; non-perishable foods; and gift certificates to restaurants, grocery stores and local clothing stores.

It was not immediately known what size of clothes or types of toys are needed.

“Gift certificates would probably be really good,” said Cindi Taylor with the police department.

The Southwest Chapter of the American Red Cross will distribute the donations to families that were displaced by the fire.

The fire was reported at 1:48 a.m. June 14 in the 2100 block of West Third Avenue. About 20 residents of the nine-unit complex were displaced.

Kevin Abeyta, 24, died in the fire after running back inside to save a mother and her two children.

The Point radio station (92.9-FM) will host a fundraiser from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at JBar, 433 County Road 310, near Bondad, to help Abeyta’s husband, Tonny Del Solar, who also lost all of his belongings in the fire.

A taco bar provided by his restaurant, Los Amigos Del Sur, will be available for $20 per plate. Drinks will be provided by Animas Brewing Co., Durango Brewing Co., A&L Coors, Coke and Zuberfizz. Royal Flesh and Badly Bent will provide music, and participants can bid on items in a silent auction.

Several GoFundMe accounts also have been set up to help individual fire victims.

[email protected]

An earlier version of this story misspelled Cindi Taylor’s first name and gave an incorrect last name.

To help

Several funds have been set up to help victims of the Tercero Townhouse Fire, including:
The La Plata County Salvation Army, which is collecting funds that are tax deductible. Checks must have “Tercero Fire Victims” in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 3296, Durango, CO 81302. For more information, call 259-0218.
A GoFundMe site has been set up to assist with medical bills for 5-year-old Ira Martinez, who received burns and smoke inhalation. The site raised $955 of its $10,000 goal as of Friday. To view the site, visit www. GoFundMe.com and search
Ira’s Medical Fund
.
A GoFundMe site has been set up to help the family of Kevin Abeyta, who died early Wednesday in the fire. The site raised $7,643 of a $10,000 goal as of Friday. To view the site, visit www. GoFundMe.com and search for “
Kevin Abeyta
.”
Abeyta and his husband, Tonny Del Solar, were co-owners of Los Amigos Del Sur, a Mexican restaurant that opened in April in the Main Mall, 835 Main Ave. A collection jar has been set out in the restaurant.
Another GoFundMe site has been set up for Hilda Picasso, the roommate of Abeyta and Del Solar, who lost all of her possessions in the fire and whose sister and nephews were injured in the fire. The site had raised $3,125 of its $5,000 goal as of Friday. To view her site, visit www.goFundMe.com and search for “
Home Fire Recovery Fund
.”
Another GoFundMe site has been set up for the Madu family of four, who also lived in the townhomes. The site had raised $3,665 of its $5,000 goal as of Friday. To view the site, visit www. GoFundMe.com and search for “
Madu Family
.”