The journalism and technology communities have donated more than $84,000 to a TechCrunch editor whose home was destroyed by a fire last week.
On Thursday, Sarah Perez said she was touched by the kindness and generosity of her peers who helped her with donations and advice after an early morning fire cost her everything but the clothes on her back.
“So grateful to be alive, and here to appreciate this beautiful life for another day,” Perez posted to her X (formerly Twitter) account.
Firefighters in Raleigh were called to a structure fire around 3 a.m. local time Wednesday. When they arrived, the fire that started at Perez’s home was starting to spread to a neighboring residence.
On X (Twitter), Perez shared a Facebook comment made by her neighbor that credited the editor’s daughter with alerting them to the fire.
“At 3 a.m., the doorbell and pounding on our door woke us,” the neighbor wrote. “It was [Perez’s daughter], telling us their house was on fire and to get out. She was not told to do that, she just did it.”
When the flames were extinguished, Perez, her daughter and their dog had only the possessions they left the home with. Everything inside was destroyed.
A friend launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist Perez following the fire. As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe was on pace to eclipse $90,000 in donations by mid-week.
Donors include top executives at TechCrunch, Yahoo, Plex and Postmates, along with dozens of Perez’s peer journalists.
Went by to see the house today! Glad to be alive!! pic.twitter.com/uUG9IfNooD
— Sarah Perez (@SarahPerezTC) March 15, 2024
