May Fire Victims in Need of Support

Residents of the Coopertown area of Haverford Township may have noticed smoke from a house fire on the evening of Friday, May 17.

That fire, located in a home across the street from the Radnor-Haverford border, caused extensive damage to the house and serious injures to someone who lives there. Jazmine Smith and her mother Vera Williams were victims of the fire in their Bryn Mawr home.

Patch recently wrote about the duo,

Smith has spent the past two years as the caregiver for Williams, who is legally blind and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was 25 years old.

On May 17, a fire broke out around 8 p.m. in their Miller Street home. Emergency responders found heavy smoke coming from the house and a fire in the back of the house, said Deputy Fire Chief of Radnor Fire Co. Joseph Maguire.

Fire Marshal Don Wood said the damage was "extensive" and the cause is so far undetermined, but that an electrical failure in a toaster over or failure of an outlet could not be ruled out.

Responders forced entry to the house's front door, which was locked and bolted. They found Williams on a couch, injured but still alive. She was flown via helicopter to Temple University Hospital, Maguire said.

According to the Victory for Vera Facebook page, most of their possessions were lost or damaged in the fire.

"The family is truly grateful for the outpouring of prayers, encouragement and support during this difficult time. Many of you have also asked how to best help Jaz and Vera rebuild. Please send any monetary donations directly to Jazmine via PayPal. Enter the email (Geechee77@gmail) to send funds to her account," the Facebook post reads.