A fundraiser launched to provide support for Wennington residents affected by the blaze has hit more than £11,000 and rising.
Ex-Wennington resident Natalie De Lucia, 30 - who now lives in Chadwell Saint Mary with her partner while owning and running the My Little Angels Day Nursery in Upminster - set up the GoFundMe page after seeing the flames when driving home from work.
She said there had been fires in the area which had been safely put out, but when she saw the extent of this blaze: “I was like, okay, this is getting a bit serious."
Initially helping by ensuring residents without Facebook or social media were receiving regular information about the incident, Natalie said the impact on the community was impossible to put into words.
“You can't describe it," she said. "It’s something you just don’t expect to be feeling"
While various goods donations were soon being sent in for those affected, Natalie said it became clear that what was also needed was financial support.
When setting up the fundraiser, she said the original intention was to raise a couple of hundred pounds.
However, the money quickly flooded in, with the total, as of July 20 at 7.30pm, at over £11,000.
Natalie said the response has been “overwhelming”.
“It’s made me tearful, and it’s made the residents tearful to see the community coming together.”
Intending on keeping the page open until at least Friday, Natalie said she is currently working with a charity run by a family member of one of the residents to ensure they get the support they need.
“It’s just trying to raise as much funds as possible to help them try and get their lives back on track,” she said.
The fire in Wennington was one of many that broke out across the capital on July 19, as temperatures rose to over 40C for the first time.
The London Fire Brigade said it was its busiest day since World War II, with more than 1,146 incidents and 2,670 calls taken.
Thankfully, no fatalities were reported.
To donate to Natalie’s fundraiser, visit her GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-residents-of-wennington?qid=517d5186c6240fa2d1f5db291bd8b42d
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