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A refrigerator in the lower level of the Salvation Army building, at 3740 Telegraph Road, caught fire just before 7 a.m. and caused extensive smoke damage throughout the building, the Rock Community Fire Protection District said. The district鈥檚 headquarters are across the street from the charity.

No one was in the building at the time. But the damage spoiled several hundred pounds of food and left the charity without a place to store donations or help pay utilities for people in need, at a time when it is preparing to distribute meals and toys for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

鈥淭he ramp-up time to the holidays is probably about the worst time it could happen,鈥� said Larry Hostetler, Salvation Army Jefferson County director. 鈥淲e have to figure out how to continue the momentum. We鈥檙e trying to figure out where to go and how to continue the momentum during this disruption.鈥�

The fire has also disrupted the charity鈥檚 year-round services, including helping connect people across Jefferson County with assistance paying for utilities, Hostetler said. The location helped about 7,000 people with food, utility or other assistance over the last year, largely people who are unhoused, are seniors on fixed incomes, or families in poverty, he said.

鈥淩ight now there are people calling us for help and just aren鈥檛 hearing anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a disruption not just to us but to those who are in the direst straits.鈥�

The charity normally opens its food pantry for the public each Wednesday and serves about 60 people a week, Hostetler said. And it serves hot meals on Thursdays for about 60 people on average. The meal service tomorrow will be relocated to the Rock Community fire district鈥檚 headquarters.

But most of the food in the pantry was spoiled by the smoke, Hostetler said. The smoke also damaged some toys the charity collected to distribute over Christmas, including stuffed animals, he said. Most of the other toys were pre-packaged and were not damaged.

The charity asks for monetary donations to be made at . The charity can鈥檛 process in-kind donations until its building can be inspected and cleaned and repaired, Hostetler said. But funding can help buy food to restock the pantry and keep helping people pay for their utilities and other needs.

鈥淚 know by experience that when people are made aware of a need they are responsive,鈥� Hostetler said. 鈥淎s a religious organization, we are trusting God to provide what we need. And we know people will be responsive and will want to help, and we are thankful for that.鈥�

A planned canned food collection drive on Saturday will be relocated to Canaan Baptist Windsor Church in Imperial, at 6701 State Route 61, Hostelter said. The church will also store the donated food items until the Salvation Army reopens its building.

And the Salvation Army plans to post other updates to its Facebook Page, he said.

Firefighters responding to the Salvation Army just before 7 a.m. found light smoke on the main floor and heavy smoke in the lower level, said Alyson Rotter, public information officer for the Rock Community Fire Protection District.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and cleared the scene by 8:30 a.m., Rotter said. The cause of the refrigerator fire is under investigation.