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Fire at Twin Oaks displaces residents

DARIEN TOWNSHIP — Residents at Twin Oaks Shelter for the Homeless, located on U.S. Highway 14, were quickly evacuated Tuesday when a fire broke out, according to a news release from Community Action Inc., the shelter's owner since 1992.

No one was injured but the shelter suffered smoke and water damage. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, the release noted.

Community Action Inc. staff members said the fire started when a junction box ignited insulation between the roof and the ceiling in one of the housing unites.

The Delavan Fire Department, along with backup from several area departments, responded to the fire.

The Red Cross is providing food and lodging at an area hotel for all of the residents while repairs are made. Community Action Inc. staffers said they hope to reopen the shelter in a few days.

Twin Oaks--the only emergency shelter in Walworth County--is located seven miles west of Delavan in Darien Township.

The facility is a former motel that was converted in to 12 units of one-room living with a community kitchen/dining area, library/learning center, laundry room, food pantry, outdoor playground for kids and an office/sleeping area for staff and volunteers.

The shelter offers up to 90 days of rooming for Walworth County residents.

To make a donation to Twin Oaks Shelter, call (262) 728-8296, or mail a check to Community Action, Inc., 1545 Hobbs Drive, Delavan, WI, 53115-2027; write "Twin Oaks" in the memo line.