Help for Victims of San Bruno Fire

The Red Cross has set up shelter for victims; blood donations are needed; Petco offers shelter for animals.

American Red Cross Shelter Established
Source: Bay City News Service

The American Red Cross has established an emergency shelter for evacuees from the explosion and fire in San Bruno.

A Red Cross shelter has been set up at the Veterans Memorial Recreation Center, 251 City Park Way at Crystal Springs Road in San Bruno, according to spokeswoman Melanie Finke.

Food and shelter will be provided. Finke said members of the Red Cross team have told her that about 100 people were already at the shelter as of 8:15 p.m. She said she was unsure at that time how many more people will show up.

Finke said an evacuation shelter has also been established at the Bayhill Shopping Center by emergency officials and that some evacuees had opted to go there. The Bayhill Shopping Center is located at San Bruno and Cherry avenues.

Finke said the Red Cross is in the process of bringing in cots, blankets, food and water to the Red Cross shelter. She said basic health services would be available, but that people in need of treatment have sought other medical care. Arrangements are also being made to bring in crisis counselors to provide emotional support. "It is difficult at this point to know how many people are truly affected," Finke said.

Blood Center Calling for Donations
Source: Bay City News Service

Blood Centers of the Pacific is issuing an emergency appeal for blood donations, particularly of Type O negative, to replenish the supply currently being depleted by those injured in today's explosion and fire in San Bruno.

Area hospitals are requiring significant amounts of Type O negative blood -- the type that can be given to anyone in an emergency.

While the blood center will be able to move supplies from other hospitals to the ones treating the injured patients, the Bay Area's blood supply will need to be replenished as soon as possible, blood center spokeswoman Lisa Bloch said. "We'll juggle blood from other hospitals to make sure that they're covered, but the problem becomes what happens tomorrow and over the weekend," Bloch said.

The blood center provides donations to 40 hospitals throughout Northern California, including Kaiser Permanente, South San Francisco Medical Center and Seton Hospital, where fire victims have been taken for treatment, among others.

Although Bloch didn't have an estimate of how many patients they expect to accommodate from the explosion, she confirmed, "We're sending as much blood as we can."

Petco: Shelter for Animals

According to a tweet by @abc7newsBayArea: The Tanforan Petco is offering overnight shelter to animals in need.