Two families were displaced this week after a fire broke out at a Vineyard Haven Home Monday. 

Fire crews from Edgartown and Oak Bluffs helped out at the fire.

Tim Johnson

Fire crews from Edgartown and Oak Bluffs helped out at the fire.

Tim Johnson

Firefighters were called to 168 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road at 12:13 p.m. and when they arrived flames and heavy smoke were coming out of the bungalow. 

“It basically torched the whole first floor and the attic area,” said Tisbury fire Chief Patrick Rolston. 

One person who was in the home got out safely and was brought to the hospital with minor injuries, but the property, which also had an apartment with another family, is no longer habitable, the fire chief said. 

The intensity of the fire is making it difficult to pinpoint a cause. 

“There’s too much damage to determine what it actually was,” Chief Rolston said. 

The Red Cross was called in to help the people who were displaced. A GoFundme campaign started by Diamond Buchanan stated that her mother, stepfather, uncle and little brother were all living at the home and lost everything. 

“Now, my family is left with no home, no clothes, no food, and no belongings,” Ms. Buchanan wrote. “They are facing homelessness and the overwhelming challenge of trying to rebuild their lives from nothing.”

The home is owned by the estate of Zoe Steere and Douglas Gingras, according to town assessor records. 

A GoFundme campaign was also set up by Stacy Wise for Michelle Gingras. Ms. Wise said Ms. Gingras lost everything in the fire. 

“Michelle is the kind of person who shows up for others without hesitation,” Ms. Wise wrote on the fundraising page. “She's the one who checks in, brings a meal, sends a text at just the right time, and quietly helps without asking for anything in return. Now it's our turn to show up for her.”

Chief Rolston thanked the several other Island departments that aided Tisbury with the fire.

“The support they gave us was huge,” Chief Rolston said.