Update: Red Cross Opens Shelter For Families Displaced By Speakman Plant Fire In Wilmington

Wilmington, DE – December 7, 2006 – By 7:15 pm today, a disaster shelter had been opened by the Red Cross and community partners at the Police Athletic League Center, to provide temporary lodging for families forced to leave their homes by a major fire at the old Speakman plant off 30th Street in Wilmington. It is expected that the shelter, which is currently housing 11 people, to remain open until at least tomorrow afternoon. The American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula 's Emergency Response Vehicle, dispatched to help over 3 hours ago, was still at the scene of the fire, providing canteening services for emergency crews who continue to battle the blaze .