A fire that occurred early Saturday morning has left one of Durango’s helpers of those in need, in need of some help himself.

Firefighters with the Durango Fire Protection District responded about 3:10 a.m. to a fire in Unit C of 3218 West Second Ave., said Fire Marshal Karola Hanks.

The apartment is the home of Seanan Culloty, head chef and manager at Manna, a Durango soup kitchen

While the house sustained damage in that unit, the other three units in the structure were not destroyed, Hanks said. The structure is still standing and will be able to be repaired.

An investigation into the cause of the fire and the area of origin will continue on Monday, Hanks said. A smoke detector activated in the apartment, and no residents, pets or firefighters were injured.

While Culloty and his dog, Bubba, were able to safely escape the fire, he lost everything else, said Marissa Hunt, Manna’s program services manager, who has created a GoFundMe on Culloty’s behalf.

“He didn’t exit with any of his material possessions, so we’re trying to make sure he has enough funding to get a deposit on a new place, first month’s rent, get some of those basic possessions – to really garner some community support for someone who is supporting the community every day,” she said.

Culloty serves on the Colorado Restaurant Association and before joining Manna, where he helps feed Durango’s most vulnerable populations, he was executive chef at Ken & Sues.

The goal of the GoFundMe is $10,000. All of the contributions go directly to Seanan Culloty, not Manna, Hunt said. As of 2 p.m. Saturday, $8,270 had been raised.

“We’re really grateful for the support we’ve seen from the community already. Seanan is our head chef – he’s working every day to feed people in need. It’s amazing to see folks coming together to help one of our own when someone’s in need,” she said.

ngonzales@durangoherald.com