Crime & Safety

Fire Victims Will Need Additional Donations

The family is currently living in hotels.

The Ohio Avenue family that lost its home to a is in need of some help from the community, according to the New Port Richey Police Department.

Katharine Wyatt, her children and her fiancé have been living in hotels since the house they were renting at 6207 Ohio Ave. caught fire March 19, according to Marilyn Melvin, a victim advocate with the police department.  

An investigation revealed that a 6-year-old boy had been playing with a lighter on an adjoining porch and set a box on fire. He told his Katharine, his mother, who was in a different part of the house, that the home was on fire. She attempted to quell the flames, but the fire spread to the garage, the attic and a bedroom.

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The house was deemed uninhabitable.

The family received assistance from Red Cross and stayed at a local Ramada for a couple days. They received a voucher from a local Methodist church for an additional two weeks at a hotel, which they’re using at a Quality Inn.

Find out what's happening in New Port Richeywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Melvin said Wyatt told her “the home they were residing in on Ohio Avenue will not be habitable for another four months. Ms. Wyatt feels that once the family finds a more stable living environment, furniture will be their greatest need as everything they owned incurred heavy smoke damage.“

The catch? The police department has not been able to determine a drop-off location for furniture donations because the family is going to be on the move every few week

Andrew Peacock, Wyatt’s fiancé, does not have a car, which makes transport of belongings difficult.

”Projecting forward, additional needs will include assistance with food and clothing," Melvin wrote in an e-mail. "Katharine has four children.”

Wyatt has a 12-year-old daughter, 6-year-old son, a 5-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old daughter, according to Melvin.  

If you want to help by offering a drop-off site or volunteering, contact:

Marilyn M. Melvin, CA

New Port Richey Police Department

727-841-4553


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