WALKER, Mich — Over 5,000 Christmas presents for children were damaged by smoke from a fire at the DeltaPlex last week.
The gifts were collected by the Santa Claus Girls, an organization that's over a century old and provides Christmas gifts to children in Grand Rapids every year. This year, the organization used the DeltaPlex as the donation drop-off location.
A fire at the DeltaPlex on Friday, Nov. 24, filled the building with smoke, damaging all of the gifts that were set to be distributed for Christmas.
The Santa Claus Girls are still not allowed inside the building to assess the extent of the damage due to an ongoing deodorizing process.
Nancy Ditta, Vice President of the Santa Claus Girls Board, told 13 ON YOUR SIDE Thursday that they believe that none of the gifts will be salvageable for 2023. They also believe that these gifts can't be used next year, either.
However, Ditta also said the organization has received a lot of donations since the fire last week. Plus, the organization's insurance will be covering the purchase of thousands of Meijer Gift Cards to be distributed this year.
On Dec. 9, the Santa Claus Girls will take the Meijer Gift Cards and hand them out to the children in Grand Rapids. They are planning on distributing over 8,000 gift cards.
The Santa Claus Girls are still accepting monetary donations on their website as well as asking for donations of hats, mittens and yarn to be delivered to the DeltaPlex on Mondays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
According to the Walker Fire Department Chief Dave Pelton, the fire began in a wall on the building's west side, filling the facility with smoke.
We were told the fire was a "hidden pocket fire" in the wall assembly. Crews had to cut holes in the roof of the facility to get to the fire.
Officials have not yet released a cause of the fire.
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