Clark University partnered with the city of Worcester on Tuesday to provide shelter to families displaced by a four-alarm fire. According to police reports, the fire broke out on Feb. 22 at about 2 a.m. in a vacant building on Charlton Street and started to spread to an adjacent apartment building. The Worcester Police evacuated a number of families, five of which had children under 6 years old, from the five-story apartment building. With temperatures in the single digits, Worcester Police requested dispatchers find shelter for the displaced residents until the Red Cross could get mobilized. Clark University Police Sgt. Michael Palermo suggested that the families be brought to the Higgins University Center on campus.

According to Palermo, Clark Police informed Mark Abrams, manager of The Bistro eatery, which is located inside the U.C., that the families would be brought there. Though the restaurant was closed, Abrams opened the Bistro to make coffee for the adults and get milk for the children, Palermo said. The Clark Escort also helped take displaced children to campus, with Clark Police Officer David Pietrewicz carrying children without shoes into the university center. Worcester Emergency Management Services responded immediately to the center and began gathering names. Palermo also recognized Kim McElroy of Clark Dining Services for providing breakfast for the families. The Red Cross arrived at about 5 a.m. and began finding temporary housing for the displaced residents.

For the Worcester Telegram story on the fire, click here.