Neighbors rally to aid Vancouver family left homeless by fire

Neighbors of a Vancouver family displaced by a fire Friday have started a fundraising drive on their behalf.

A GoFundMe page created by Brandy Jennings says that Danny van Winkle and Susie Gaylord and their two daughters, ages 15 and 9, lost everything they owned when fire engulfed a house at 3515 X St., in Vancouver’s Rose Village neighborhood.

“They barely made it out alive,” Jennings said on the GoFundMe page.

Jennings lives a block away from the family, and knows the family through her children. She said she and other neighbors are working together and using the Nextdoor.com social media site to collect donations for clothing and basic necessities for the family.

“A few members from my church are also assisting me with a shopping trip to Wal-Mart on Monday for the material things they still need,” Jennings said in an email Saturday.

“They need to start from scratch,” Jennings said. She said the Red Cross is providing lodging for the family for three days, but after that the family will be homeless.

“And just before Christmas,” Jennings said.

The fundraising page is aimed helping the family rent a new home and get furniture, food, clothing, toiletries and other necessities.

The website’s address is gofundme.com/vanwinklefamily.

Information about the cause of the fire was not available Saturday.