"We have mountains of clothes, the amount of food is indescribable," said Carlos Caprioli, a coordinator of the Morris Family Success Center. "We don't want people to bring anymore because we don't have anywhere to put them."
When Morris County residents heard of the massive fire in Dover that left 80 people without homes and destroyed six buildings, they knew something had to be done -- and fast.
But the community acted so quickly in donating to Dover residents displaced by the fire and business reduced to ash, that many organizations are so overwhelmed with donations they are not accepting anymore.
"We have mountains of clothes, the amount of food is indescribable," said Carlos Caprioli, a coordinator of the Morris County Family Success Center. "We don't want people to bring anymore because we don't have anywhere to put them."
Instead, the best way for people to help displaced families and business owners is to donate to their GoFundMe or in the form of $20 or $25 gift cards, he added.
The blaze Monday afternoon decimated 10 apartments and six businesses in downtown Dover. There were no serious injuries, but 40 people permanently lost their homes, Caprioli said.
"We have a situation here where we have families now in shelters," Dodd said. "We have business owners who no longer have businesses."
And those who lost their homes are scared, Caprioli noted, but buoyed by the outpouring of support.
View photos of massive fire in Dover
"You see the people that come and they want to bring things, they want to help. And it's hard for the families, but it's good for them to see there is help out there," he said.
The Dover Community Center, St. John's Episcopal Church, the local Salvation Army and Rotary Club are among the 30 nonprofits that are organizing help for victims.
The Red Cross is helping the 80 residents who lost their homes, though some will be able to return Thursday as electricity is being restored. Forty residents are permanently displaced, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said.
(Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Smoke was first reported coming out of the basement of Barry's Luncheonette on North Warren Street around 3:30 p.m. Monday, he said. The fire quickly spread to adjacent buildings on Blackwell Street and North Warren Street.
The inferno was fed by a natural gas line, which "took a while for the power company to locate the shutoff," Dodd said.
New Jersey Natural Gas spokesman Kevin Roberts said crews remained on the scene Wednesday to coordinate restoration efforts. He said the company was contacted by local police at 4:55 p.m. Monday and arrived on site by 5:08 p.m.
"Valves were turned off, curtailing service to approximately 80 of our customers at the site and surrounding area," he said, though he would not comment on how long it took to shut off the gas line feeding the fire.
More than 52 agencies from Morris, Sussex, Warren and Bergen counties responded and assisted with containing the fire, Knapp said.
Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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