Help on the way for Telegraph Avenue fire victims

UC Berkeley is coordinating efforts to assist students displaced by the five-alarm fire that destroyed an apartment building at Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street over the weekend.

Although there were no reports of injuries, the 39-unit building at 2441 Haste, which housed up to 70 Berkeley students, sustained significant damage during Friday’s blaze. In the wake of the fire, the Berkeley Fire Department red-tagged the building as structurally unsafe and cordoned off the surrounding area.

The adjacent 10-unit apartment building at 2435 Haste is currently also off-limits to tenants as officials assess the structural integrity and collapse-potential of the neighboring fire-ravaged building.

With tenant records lost to the fire, campus officials are working to identify displaced students with the city of Berkeley and the American Red Cross, which housed students in hotels over the weekend. Cal Dining Services provided meals to students displaced by the fire.

The campus is working to provide students with alternative housing on a case-by-case basis. Students in need of housing, should call (510) 642-4108.

Students can access campus counseling and psychological services by calling (510) 642-9494. Tang Center counselors are also available on a drop-in basis between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Officials are also offering financial assistance to cover the costs of essential living items, such as clothes and toiletries. Students can obtain a gift certificate to purchase bare essentials lost in the fire from the Dean of Students Office at 326 Sproul Hall.

The Cal One office at 180 Cesar Chavez Center is issuing impacted students with replacement Cal One ID cards free of charge between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Residential and Student Service Programs is offering displaced students residence-hall housing free of charge, together with complimentary dining cards, through the end of the semester. Students impacted by the fire can also apply to the Financial Aid Office for interest-free emergency loans and special grant funding to cover medium-term financial needs.

The Financial Aid Office at 211 Sproul is accepting cash donations to help those displaced by the fire. The ASUC launched a week-long donation drive Monday, with members setting up a table on Sproul Plaza to accept cash and other donations.

Some building residents have also created a Facebook page .

If you would like to make a monetary contribution to help students replace clothing, books and other belongings lost in the fire, you can make an online gift through the Student Emergency Fund .