A prominent TechCrunch editor is homeless after an early morning fire caused significant damage to her North Carolina home on Wednesday.
Firefighters with the Raleigh Fire Department were dispatched to the home of TechCrunch editor Sarah Perez around 3 a.m. local time after receiving a report of a residential structure fire.
When firefighters arrived, the fire that started at Perez’s home started spreading to a nearby residence, according to Raleigh CBS affiliate WNCN-TV (Channel 17).
The roof on Perez’s home collapsed, and the fire caused significant damage that left the home uninhabitable. The American Red Cross is assisting Perez, her 14-year-old daughter and their pet dog, according to an emergency official.
Three people inside the neighboring home were able to escape and are also being assisted by the Red Cross, an official said.
Fire investigators are still probing the cause of the blaze.
Perez has worked for TechCrunch since 2011, starting as a general assignment reporter and working her way up to the role of consumer tech editor.
A friend launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for Perez and her daughter, with more than $51,000 in donations collected as of Wednesday morning. Donors include Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone, Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann, Plex CEO Keith Valory and journalism colleagues Matthew Panzarino, Christina Warren, Alexandra Bonatsos and Henry Pickavet.
I just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has reached out and donated so generously. We are truly overwhelmed. Blessed. Grateful. In time, I want to write each and every one of you back individually. But for now, let me just say THANK YOU SO MUCH. ❤️????????
— Sarah Perez is also on Threads, Mastodon & Bluesky (@SarahPerezTC) March 13, 2024
Late Wednesday evening, Perez said she was touched by the outpouring of support.
“Everything is lost, but so many people reaching out to help. I love you all. Bless you. Thank you a million times over,” Perez wrote on X (Twitter).
TechCrunch is owned by Yahoo.
