ERVING — After hearing about the early-morning house fire that claimed the life of a 1-year-old girl in Erving last month, a couple from the Greater Boston area felt compelled to help.
Paul and Carol Kerrissey of Sherborn heard about the tragedy through a friend in Wendell who knows the Clarks, who lost their home in the blaze. The fire, which began sometime after 2 a.m. on Nov. 22, displaced eight residents and sent three to the hospital — one with severely burned lungs. The homeowners’ 1-year-old granddaughter died in the fire.
Paul Kerrissey chairs the Rotary Club of Newton’s emergency fund, and went to the club’s board to request a donation be made to the family.
“The board pretty quickly decided yes, we need to help these people,” Carol Kerrissey said.
The Rotary Club of Newton will present the Clark family with a check for $1,000, which the Kerrisseys are hoping to deliver in person this weekend. Paul Kerrissey said the Rotary collects donations for its emergency fund, which is typically used to help people in Newton.
“We decided to go outside of Newton in this particular case because it’s so compelling and because it’s so terrible,” Paul Kerrissey said.
The Kerrisseys are no strangers to hard times. Fifteen years ago, a faulty electric water heater caused their home to explode while they were inside of it. Carol Kerrissey said they were lucky enough to escape, but lost nearly everything they owned.
“Many complete strangers reached out to us at the time we lost our home, so this seemed like a nice way to pay it back,” she said. “It was a very moving experience and a testament to the human spirit, where people just sort of came out of the woodwork and were so kind and generous, and we are forever grateful for that.”