<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1MvgCP_0wDXNlFB00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1MvgCP_0wDXNlFB00" width="756" height="425" ><figcaption>Photo credit: WBAL-TV 11</figcaption></figure><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mf-RCtXT4UQ?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>A Baltimore church held a vigil Friday night just days after a fatal rowhome fire in Hampden.Simone Gibson, the pastor at the Pathway Fellowship FMC Multicultural Church, said she wanted to bring the community together to offer up resources and allow the families impacted to collect some of the donations the church has gathered from the community.“We wanted to honor those whom we’ve lost, but also wanted to inspire and spark hope,” Gibson told 11 News. “We are praying for healing and restoration, and God has already begun the work, and so we just want to be a part of it.”Gibson said, at this point, the church is accepted monetary and gift card donations for the displaced survivors.“We’ve been so blessed because there’s been a tremendous outpouring of support for the families, and we want to announce and let people know what’s available to them so they can take advantage of it,” Gibson told 11 News.The Baltimore City Fire Department said 10 rowhomes were impacted and two people died in one of the homes. Those who were displaced told 11 News the two victims were a married couple who lived on Keswick Road for decades.“Matt and Kathy, they were wonderful, and Halloween was their thing, feeding the birds and squirrels,” said Jessica Garrett, who is one of several residents displaced. “In the wreckage, you can see birds that are there, that are probably there for the peanuts and the birdseed that Matt and Kathy made sure was there for them. It’s really amazing, and they will be extremely missed.”Garrett is expecting her second child in a few months and is part of the many victims who lost everything in the fire.“We did lose everything. We’re starting over, but the community, Baltimore and my personal community has shown out in ways that I could not have even imagined. This is the greatest city in America,” Garrett told 11 News.Susan Linde, who has lived in her Keswick Road home for over three decades, said she only escaped her burning home because a firefighter kicked in her secured door to rescue her.“I’m just grateful, I’m grateful. How can I not be? I’m alive, you know,” Linde told 11 News. “I don’t think the damage (to my home) was so great that it’ll have to come down, but it’ll be a lot to do. I haven’t been in (it), we won’t be able to get in until next week, probably, to see what is salvageable, what is not. I can’t make any plans. I just don’t know, and I don’t want to even speculate right now.”Both Linde and Garrett told 11 News their smoke alarms are what alerted them the morning of the fire.“I only know that I had a smoke alarm that worked. So, anybody who has a smoke alarm, please make sure it’s working, because I am 99% sure that’s what woke me up,” Linde told 11 News.A third victim was taken to a hospital for minor smoke inhalation and was released the same day. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.Those looking to donate to victims can tap this link and type “Keswick Fire Fund” in the memo. Also, Blue Pit BBQ is holding a fundraiser to benefit the victims from 3-9 p.m. Sunday (1601 Union Ave.), sponsored by the Hampden Village Merchants Association and the Hampden Community Council.</div></body>

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‘I’m just grateful I’m alive’: Vigil held after fire damages Hampden rowhomes

A Baltimore church held a vigil Friday night just days after a fatal rowhome fire in Hampden. Simone Gibson, the pastor at the Pathway Fellowship FMC Multicultural Church, said she wanted to bring the community together to offer up resources and allow the families impacted to collect some of the donations the church has gathered from the community.