Fund established to held displaced family
By Vanessa Holt, Managing Editor
SPRINGFIELD A house on Jacksonville-Smithville Road was destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning, displacing a family, police said Wednesday. A friend of the family said donations are being collected to help the family, none of whom were injured in the blaze.
Springfield police said the fire was reported at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and the three township fire companies, Jacksonville, Jobstown and Juliustown, responded. Police said responses also came from Mansfield, Florence, Mount Holly, Eastampton and Chesterfield companies.
The fire was still under investigation Wednesday, but appeared to have been an accident, police said.
Donna Megariotis, a friend of the family, said the house was owned by Mike and Michelle Donohoe. The Donohoes have two adult children, one of whom a daughter was home at the time of the fire. The family members and a pet cat escaped the blaze, though they were still looking for the cat on Wednesday.
Ms. Megariotis said that although the family had insurance, they lost everything except the clothes on their backs in the fire. Ms. Megariotis said donations are being collected through a fund for the Donohoes to help with their day-to-day needs. The family has been staying with friends and family in the region since Tuesday.
”It’s gone, there is nothing left,” said Ms. Megariotis of the house. The house was set back from the road in a wooded area, she said.
Ms. Megariotis said donations can be made to the Michael F. and Michelle E. Donohoe Family Fund, in care of Marjorie Callahan, Grand Bank, 1 Edinburg Road, Hamilton NJ 08619.
Staff writer Geoffrey Wertime contributed to this report.

