Swampscott hearts ablaze for family

SWAMPSCOTT – Boots, gift cards, an American Girl doll and boys? clothes ? town residents are flooding Anthony and Lori Pierro and their three children with donated goods and assistance after a Tuesday morning fire left the family homeless with their possessions destroyed.?It?s amazing the way this town has come through. We had a lot of people just walk in with donations,” said Lisa Faia, a town resident, who is turning her Essex Street dance studio into a donation center.The outpouring of help for the Pierros started hours after the fire, with Faia setting aside a room in All About Dance for donations as soon as a friend told her about it. Six-year old Victoria Pierro has attended the studio for three years.?My husband (Joseph) donated his brand-new boots, and another mother brought in a brand-new American Girl doll,” Faia said.Veteran Swampscott firefighter Pierro and his wife credited Victoria with alerting family members shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday to the fire. Fire Chief Kevin Breen said the Pierros escaped their burning 672 Humphrey St. home with seconds to spare.Wednesday, Breen said investigators initially concluded “an electrical malfunction” started the fire.Faia said friends drove a dozen bags filled with clothing donated Tuesday over to the home of one of Lori Pierro?s friends, and by 1 p.m. Wednesday, another dozen bags had been donated, including a pair of boots donated by Marblehead resident Amy Sorkin?s daughter, Amanda.?Whatever we can do as a community, we try to help. It?s an awful thing just to have nothing,” Sorkin said.Swampscott resident Cheryl Winters? daughter, Sarah, and 12-year-old Christian Pierro are longtime friends, and Winters brought donations to All About Dance Wednesday to help Christian and his family and to offer a reminder to her children.?Things can be replaced but not people. I brought scarves, clothes – and a bottle of wine for Lori,” she said.The Pierro?s oldest son, Nicholas, attends Swampscott High School.Breen said town firefighters who work alongside Anthony Pierro are overwhelmed by the town?s generosity and donations offered by residents in other communities. He said he is also checking on the needs of a Burpee Road couple who sustained significant fire damage to their home on Monday.?The department is extremely thankful for the outpouring of generosity,” Breen said.Faia is accepting donations at her 213 Essex St. studio from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The studio is open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.Anyone wishing to donate to the fund that has been set up for the Pierros can send a check to: Lynn Firemen?s Federal Credit Union, 30 Boston St., Suite 9, Lynn, MA 01904.