A group of volunteers gathered at The Banshee in Dorchester after assisting senior citizens at the Ditson Street Senior Housing complex. The elderly residents were displaced by a Feb. 16 fire that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage to the building. The volunteers helped residents pack up their belongings before renovations begin. Pictured above: Jeff Soivilien, Haley Fiske, Jean Loreus, Olivia Bowering, Donald Horigan (hat), Jeanne MacLellan, Don DiRocco front: Mark Daly, Cassy Whooley, Rodney Byrd, Bill from 25 Ditman, Ellen Mason, Fields Corner CDC Photo courtesy Rodney Byrd

Residents of a Fields Corner elderly apartment complex that was damaged in a two-alarm fire last month are getting assistance from the property’s owners and volunteers. No one was injured when a morning blaze broke out on Feb. 16 inside the Ditson Street Senior Housing at 25 Ditson St., but 46 residents were displaced in the incident, which caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.

The Fields Corner Community Development Corporation, which owns and manages the building, swung into action quickly to find temporary housing for the seniors with critical assistance from the Red Cross and the Mayor’s Office.

“We’ve had a remarkable response,” said Donna Finnegan, the CDC’s chief executive officer. As of this week, six of the seniors were still staying at the Doubletree Hotel, down from 22 in the immediate wake of the fire. Most of the residents have been re-settled with family, friends or in other rental housing.

Finnegan says it could take six months— or longer– to make the necessary repairs to the building. Last weekend, a group of volunteers organized through the Banshee Pub were on hand to assist the residents in boxing up personal effects in advance of demolition that will precede renovations.

“There was a good deal of water and smoke damage, so carpeting will need to come up. Some of the units need just a minimal rehab and some need to be totally gutted,” said Finnegan.

Some of the residents will be re-settled in another property owned by the Fields Corner CDC on Leroy Street in Dorchester, according to Finnegan. The city’s Department of Neighborhood Development is also providing critical assistance in finding new housing units for the displaced.