FARGO (KFGO/KVRR) – A fundraiser has been set up for an Army veteran who was displaced after a fire in north Fargo on Veteran’s Day.
Patrick Reed was at Hornbacher’s, part of his normal morning routine, when he got a notification he didn’t believe at first.
“My cameras went off and said the smoke alarm was detected,” Reed said. “The first time it went off, I didn’t think it was me. I thought it was my neighbor upstairs. I thought he was cooking, but I thought ‘no, he’s not up.’”
Reed rushed home, and after discovering how serious the fire was, he started alerting everyone in the building.
“Most of them are elderly, over 70 or 75,” Reed said. “So, I went to get them. I started knocking on doors trying to wake everyone up. it’s not really easy, but the smoke started to consume the building.”
Reed said he was nervous. His dog Sasha was still trapped in the apartment.
“I opened the door, and [thought] Sasha would run out when she… heard my voice, but I couldn’t get through because the smoke was almost down to where there was only three feet before it was on the ground consuming the whole apartment,” Reed said. “So she couldn’t come out.”
Everyone was able to get out with no injuries.
Reed has been a staple in the community since moving to Fargo 12 years ago. He delivers groceries to many residents in the area.
Since the fire, Reed says he’s been receiving help from the community, even though he’s not always comfortable taking it.
But it has reminded him about why he moved to North Dakota in the first place.
“I tell people all the time, North Dakota’s like that. Don’t listen to what other people say.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
You can donate to Reed’s GoFundMe fundraiser here.
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