CHARDON, Ohio — What happens to a family after a fire? In Chardon, there's hope for 12-year old Dean Richter, who lost his Pokémon card collection after a fire quickly spread through his family's garage and into their home Saturday morning.
Following the fire, the Chardon Fire Department posted about Dean's loss, urging individuals to try to help by donating Pokémon cards. Pretty quickly, the idea took off, with hundreds of comments and shares spanning beyond Geauga County.
"It's overflowing with cards you can see," Assistant Fire Chief Tom Hummel said. "That's just one of four or five boxes you see. When I arrived at 6 a.m., this box was empty – now it's half full."
Hummel explained that the fire, which appeared to have started in the garage, quickly spread to other parts of the home. Dean's room, which shares a wall with the garage, was heavily damaged by smoke and water, according to the family.
For Dean's parents, the support has been overwhelming.
"Isn't that awesome, because they know you lost them – and they want to reach out," Tonya Richter told her son. "There's good people out there. Even though something bad happens, something good follows."
Tonya Richter told News 5 the love of Pokémon cards had grown in the past year, and became one of Dean's favorite hobbies.
"Every time he got money, he was buying cards," said Tonya Richter, Dean's mother. "He can sit and focus on those and line [them] up – you know what I mean. [For kids coping with autism], I can't even explain with the way his brain works."
The Richter family brought Dean to the fire department on Monday to see the donated cards. While many questions remain about where they'll live and what can be saved from their home, the family found comfort in the community's generosity.
"Thank you," Dean Richter said.
Fire officials have not yet determined what caused the Saturday morning fire.
Anyone wanting to donate Pokémon cards to Dean can drop them off at the Chardon Fire Department, located at 110 S Hambden Street, Chardon, OH 44024.
Additionally, a GoFundMe has been set up for the family. You can learn more about the fundraiser by clicking here.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
