The local nonprofit El Centro Hispano recently launched a fundraiser to aid several Carrboro residents displaced by a recent fire.

After a severe fire broke out at the Poplar Place apartment complex early Monday morning, fire officials deemed 20 units in the damaged building uninhabitable. The blaze left 22 residents of the complex, located off Old Fayetteville Road, largely displaced.

El Centro Hispano, which advocates for equity and inclusion of the Hispanic and Latino community in the Triangle, saw one of its key leaders affected by the fire. President and CEO Eliazar Posada revealed on Facebook he was the lone victim transported to the hospital on Monday and said the fire left him with little belongings.

Following a GoFundMe set up to directly help Posada, the nonprofit began a broader fundraiser to aid the other affected Poplar Place residents. According to El Centro Hispano, the goal is reaching $21,000 and donations from community members will be divided equally between the 21 remaining tenants.

Shortly after 6 a.m. on May 24, Carrboro Fire Department received a call about a fire at the apartment complex. Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke and flames coming from the roof of one building. The blaze turned into a two-alarm fire once the burning roof collapsed, leading to more emergency services to respond. Besides Posada’s transportation to the hospital, fire officials reported one other person receiving treatment at the scene. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

More details on El Centro Hispano’s fundraiser to aid the affected Poplar Place residents can be found on the nonprofit’s website.


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