Photo by Sally Y. Hart

Last week a fire destroyed a building in downtown Riverside, killing one person, and the surviving resident lost everything he owned. Thanks to a neighboring business, however, donations have been coming in to help Paul Debbins get back on his feet. Oola Artistica and Down the Street Boutique is located across the street from the building Debbins had been living in, and the owners Tracy Wazac and Kelsey Goff began taking donations to help their neighbor after the fire.

They also set up a donation box for Tracy Williams, who had also been living in the building but didn’t survive the fire, to help her family with expenses. After just one week, they received many donations for Debbins and Williams, and they encourage people to continue to give to help the cause. The fire broke out Monday, December 19th at the building located at 40 West First Street, on the south side of Highway 22. The cause of the fire is still undetermined at this time and is under investigation.