By Jenny Farley

Sitting in class, Merrill Thomas got a call from his neighbor.

“Get out of the house!” the caller screamed. He and his neighbors had looked out for each other for years.

“They told me the house was on fire.”

Merrill’s neighbors had frantically banged on his door. They thought he was inside when the first fire started in the back of the house, a building shared by three families.

By the time he rushed home, a second fire had ignited directly over his apartment. “I could see the flames shooting up. That was horrific,” he said.

After the fires spread throughout the property and firefighters put out the flames, little was left. Merrill said he was able to salvage a few clothes.

“Fires are merciless. What was not burned was saturated with water or foam.”

Before he had time to ponder what to do next, the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team had arrived. He marveled at how fast they got there. With compassion, the Red Cross provided Merrill a lifeline by offering a safe place to go.

“You have to have a heart for the people and you have to be tough enough to stand when everything else is gone. Stand with folks who are at the edge of a precipice looking in and saying ‘No. No. You won’t hit bottom.’”

The Red Cross House in Philadelphia is the only one of its kind in the country. In an average year, it provides more than 300 families with a home away from home when home is no longer standing. It’s a free place to recuperate while planning how to move forward after losing so much.

“How can you convince someone they won’t crash and burn and that you can rebuild? That’s what these people did for me. ‘We’re sorry for your loss. You’re alive and we have a place for you.’”

Merrill will never forget the enthusiastic reception and the soothing atmosphere he got at the Red Cross House. Hot meals. A full bath. A comfortable bed.

“From the moment I hit the door they were warm and welcoming. They showed empathy and not pity. And that changed everything.”

Merrill stayed at the Red Cross House for 27 days.

“When you are coming from an environment where you have lost everything. Wow. Then you are able to take a shower. Wow.”

He remembered creature comforts like soap, toothbrushes, towels and washcloths.

“For me, it was like reclaiming me.”

The comforts of home left an impression but the Red Cross House staff proved unforgettable.

“They were loving and warm. ‘Hello, Mr. Thomas, how are you? Good to see you today.’ It was genuine warmth and caring.”

Merrill said caseworkers at the Red Cross House presented options and strategies about how to start over. When it was time to go, there were pictures and hugs.

“I was leaving family,” he said.

Merrill works near the Red Cross House. When he drives by it’s not the fire he remembers. It’s the people who helped him.

“It’s like beauty out of ashes.”

Turns out this story has a twist. Years ago, Merrill had experiences with the Red Cross as a volunteer, responding to disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

“I never thought that I would be serviced by them.”

Now Merrill wants to volunteer with the Red Cross again, so he can give to others what was given to him.

“Their message. We can get through this.”

The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters each year and most of those are home fires. To learn more about the work of the Red Cross, visit redcross.org.