NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The past 24 hours have not been easy for those living at the Shorter College Garden Apartments in North Little Rock.
"You wake up with nothing," said Pastor Eric Crowder-Jones. "How can you move forward? How can you meander past this particular pain?"
A fire destroyed the middle section of an apartment building, leaving three people dead, and many others displaced.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but investigators have been looking into what happened.
In the meantime, the community is faced with another difficult step— moving forward.
"I believe that when one hurts, all of us hurt, you know," Crowder-Jones explained. "And we all have to be that source that rushes together to help those individuals in our community that are in need."
That process has been a little bit easier, though, thanks in part to donations from Crowder-Jones' congregation— which included piles of clothes to help replace what was lost, given to those who now have nothing.
"I believe that if you see any man or any woman that's down if you are human, if you are a person, I believe that it is your responsibility, again, to help them," Crowder-Jones said.
It's a thought shared by others in the community too.
"This is North Little Rock," said Mayor Terry Hartwick. "We're gonna help, it's what you're supposed to do."
Hartwick was quick to push praise to those who were on hand immediately to put out the fire, but the city has stepped up and helped as well.
They have provided hotel rooms to those displaced for the next couple of nights and gift cards to help try and replace what was lost.
"They don't have to hurry, I'm sure they'll have relatives coming forward, they'll start making things they can get too, clothes they can buy," Hartwick said. "But they don't have to just sit there and go 'what am I gonna do now' like I've seen so many things happen before."
A lot can change in an instant, but this was just the start that those affected will need to get back on their feet.
"This is something we should do," Hartwick said. "Every city should do it, I mean, this is North Little Rock."