2022 Fire at the Shelter

Fire at Empowerhouse’s Domestic Violence Shelter

In July 2022, our domestic violence shelter experienced a tragic loss in functioning due to a fire caused by lightning. Everyone evacuated the building safely in the middle of the night thanks to the quick action of our staff, the sprinkler system, fire and security alarm equipment in our building, and the rapid and impressive response by the fire and rescue responders. We could not be more thankful for these brave first responders who rushed to the blaze and extinguished it quickly before it spread across the entire building. Many thanks go out to the firefighters and fire and rescue teams for the caring and supportive response in helping us relocate our residents quickly and secure our building.

While thankful for these blessings, we now are working with the challenging and tireless tasks of damage control, clean-up, assessment, repair, supporting our residents and staff and a full-scale plan for renewing operations swiftly and safely. With the event confined to half of the building in terms of smoke and water damage, and a smaller area of fire devastation, we are working with the County, our insurance company, our staff, our core volunteers, our contractor, and other sub-contractors to be operational as soon as possible. While we work through this tough loss, we continue to serve and support survivors of domestic violence and their children.

Ways to help – We soon will provide suggestions of how our community can help at this difficult time. If you would like to make a tax-deductible financial gift to help lighten the financial burdens, you may do that by donating via our website, www.empowerhouseva.org.

We will need to restock supplies that were destroyed in our donation center because of the fire. If you or your group wish to work on a “Supplies Drive” to help us, please focus on the items below. All donated items must be new. You can bring your in-kind donations to Empowerhouse’s office at 150 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 101, Fredericksburg, VA 22408, 9 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday. Please e- mail office@empowerhouseva.org if you have questions or call 540-373-9373. Thank you!
• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Large diapers
• Cleaning supplies
• Underwear of all sizes
• Socks of all sizes
• Sweatpants
• T-shirts
• Pajamas
• Pillows and pillowcases
• Twin and full sheet sets
• Towels
• School and office supplies
• Canned food and other non-perishable food
• Craft supplies
• Journals
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Feminine care products
• Haircare products
• Toothbrushes
• Baby care items
• Children’s snacks
• Fun activities for children
• School and office supplies