After fire at Salvation Army in Kissimmee, some services still available

The Salvation Army is in full disaster-response mode after a fire was started by a patron late Monday at the Kissimmee location that devastated the building, but patrons who frequent the nonprofit are urged to still go there to secure food, toiletries and other services.

“We’re not going to miss a beat,” Cpt. Ken Chapman, area commander of the Salvation Army said. “We’ll have case managers and social workers that will be able to distribute the same things that we’ve been doing before.”

Chapman said the First Church of the Nazarene will share its kitchen, allowing the Salvation Army to cook and then distribute food at the charred Kissimmee building at 700 Union St.

Showers are not being offered now. Chapman said the Salvation Army is working on bringing a mobile shower unit if pipes are determined to be useable. That process could take roughly a week, he said.

Chapman said for the short term, the Salvation Army is looking to rent another location in the city or partner with a nearby church where it could continue to offer services.

Longer term, the Salvation Army has been working on building an emergency resource center before the fire occurred, he said.

“We’ll invite lots of other agencies to join us and be a part of us so you can go to one place and get all your needs taken care of rather than having to go all over town,” Chapman said.

The center will be designed to take over the Salvation Army’s Kissimmee location but will take 18 months to a year to complete, Chapman said.

“In the meantime, we’ll find that suitable location to be able to distribute our services from,” Chapman said.

The fire began around 7:30 p.m. Monday after witnesses reported to the Kissimmee Fire Department and the Kissimmee Police Department that a man, who was seen setting fire to the building, was still in the area, a press release said.

“It was a client who came to get showers and meals and he would pray with us every morning. He was part of the community,” Center Director Andrea Ruiz said. “We are hurt but we will continue to serve other people and continue to help people in crisis and need even though we’re in crisis.”

Police arrested 37-year-old Cordearo Lee Mable Monday night after he confessed to starting the fire, according to a press release. Mable is being held on an $8,500 bond and was charged with arson and burglary to an unoccupied structure.

Mable told police he felt “mistreated by the one place homeless people can go and feel like humans,” according to police records. Through an investigation, it was determined that Mable poured lighter fluid inside of the building after breaking a door window to get in.

Ruiz said she asked Mable to leave after he had finished eating and receiving services, which made him angry.

“I believe he felt that because he couldn’t be serviced at that moment,” Ruiz said.

Chapman said the reparations could take six months minimum.

Kissimmee Fire Department spokesperson James Napier said the fire caused extensive damage to the building.

According to a Salvation Army press release, the fire damaged its kitchen, food pantry, industrial washer and dryer and some of its iconic red kettles.

Chapman said Mable had made multiple threats against the Salvation Army in the past.

“Everyday we deal with brokenness, addiction issues, mental illness and people who are probably at the lowest point in their lives and so I have to believe that some of those or maybe all of those could have contributed to this kind of behavior,” Chapman said. “We are not going to disparage him, we are going to continue to offer the services that we can and meet human needs in the name of Jesus.”

The Salvation Army in Kissimmee serves roughly 200 people daily, offering showers and meals to those precariously housed in the county.

“It hurts because we love doing what we do,” Ruiz said. “We help vulnerable individuals in crisis and we are now those people in crisis. So, please come, please call us; we need your support, we need the community’s support.”

Just hours after the fire, Ruiz served food at 11 a.m. with assistance from the community, churches and the county.

Raymond Gold, a Salvation Army volunteer for 13 years who has been working at the Kissimmee location for about a year, said his heart is broken.

“It’s heartbreaking, devastating. I’ve been working at the Salvation Army for the past 13 years now and this is the worst we’ve ever seen,” Gold said. “Hopefully, we are going to come back bigger and stronger.”

Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry, who frequently partners with the Salvation Army, said in a press conference that the timing of the fire was devastating as Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year.

“I partner with them in many of these efforts to help our families in need and it’s hundreds at a time when it comes to the holiday season,” Choudhry said.

The building, which is owned by Osceola County, will need funding for reconstruction and more security measures put in place for the future, Choudhry said.

“The Salvation Army needs assistance,” Choudhry said. “A lot of it takes fundraising, so a lot of it is going to be raising funds for a permanent emergency shelter center for the Salvation Army.”

Mary Randolph lined up behind the roughly 50 people who received two slices of pizza, a sandwich and bottled water from the Salvation Army’s makeshift feeding center in front of the burnt building.

“My husband just got diagnosed with Cancer so getting food on the table right now is hard,” Randolph said.

Randolph said she didn’t know the building had burned but was happy the Salvation Army found a way to still help those who needed food.

“This is only my second time coming here but I’m glad they are here,” Randolph said.

For those wanting to donate to help the Kissimmee Salvation Army, call Ruiz directly at 407-383-7493. The location can’t accept clothing or toiletries yet but other forms of donation will be accepted.

najaramillo@orlandosentinel.com