Christopher Molinari and Todd Nuttall have had a rough few weeks — but they’ve been made a bit brighter by the generosity of the local community.
The couple was among several-dozen residents displaced after a four-alarm fire at their apartment building, 2122 Locust St. The Jan. 19 blaze took several hours to get under control.
Molinari and Nuttall had just finished dinner in their basement apartment when the smoke alarms went off, Molinari said.
He said they assumed it was a drill and Nuttall took their pug, Berkley, outside because the noise was bothersome. But he came racing back a minute later to get Molinari.
“Todd took the dog out and smelled smoke and then saw flames and ran back in for me,” he said. “I don’t know what the outcome would have been if he wasn’t there; he saved my life.”
Two firefighters were injured battling the blaze, but no residents reported injuries.
However, the couple and the other residents have been left with both an emotional and logistical nightmare, Molinari said.
He said he doesn’t believe his apartment had any fire damage, but was flooded by the firefighters’ hoses.
“To protect the structural integrity, they flooded the basement. They put one hose through our bedroom window and one through the living-room window, and turned them on full blast,” Molinari said. “And we were just sitting there watching.”
The couple hasn’t been allowed back into the structure. They lost all of their clothes, important documents like diplomas, photographs and Nuttall’s engagement ring; they were planning a spring wedding, which Molinari said they’re now postponing.
Nuttall’s employer, Dave Fine Schmear It food truck, put the couple up the first night, and Molinari’s boss, Tracey Shannon at SWEAT Fitness, also covered a room at The Westin for several days.
The night of the fire, Molinari was late to dance practice for Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus’ upcoming March production, and explained to a fellow dancer the circumstances. That member contacted PGMC president Adam Funk, who shared the story through PGMC’s private Facebook group and email list to generate support for the couple.
The next day, Funk invited Molinari and Nuttall to that evening’s rehearsal.
“He was like, ‘Can you come to rehearsal today?’ And I wasn’t supposed to be there that day but I was like OK, and he asked me to bring Todd also. When we got there, everybody in the room stood up and applauded and hugged us and brought us to a room where there was — the only word I can use to describe it is a cornucopia — of clothes, supplies, money, everything you could possibly imagine.”
Molinari said he was particularly touched as he is a relatively new member of PGMC: He and Nuttall moved to Philadelphia 10 months ago from Maine to be closer to family.
“I could see them doing this if I was a member for three or four years and a part of every concert but I’ve only known them for six months. But PGMC showed me what it’s like to be part of a community. They were like, ‘Look, we’re all in this together.’”
Funk said he wasn’t surprised by the outpouring of support.
“One of the reasons why we’ve been such a strong organization and had the opportunity to grow to the size we are today is because we’re a community. When I moved to Philadelphia, I didn’t know a soul and I joined and instantly had 100 friends who were like family,” Funk said. “It’s a brotherhood of support within the organization and it shows in day-to-day moments and then also in moments of crisis, like what Chris went through.”
Molinari said that support was heartening and inspiring.
He’s only seen Nuttall cry a handful of times in their 11 years together — and one was when he saw the pile of donations.
“It renewed our spirit,” Molinari said. “They’re a nonprofit and they depend on the kindness of strangers, but they opened up and gave what they could to me and family. That was a beautiful thing.”
PGMC will perform “Lights, Camera, Sing!” March 17-19 at The Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. For more information or tickets, visit www.pgmc.org.