In all, 51 people were displaced.
"Initially, we want to make sure they have a place to go, they have clothes on their backs, and they have food in their stomachs. Those are our three primary goals after a fire or a disaster," spokesman Dave Schrader said.
The Red Cross then handed out debit cards good for food, clothes, and other essentials.
Some families elected to stay in hotels or with family and friends.
Three families temporarily moved into the Red Cross House, which provides transitional shelter.
Most people stay for about three weeks, Schrader said, during which time they are given private rooms, bathrooms, and three meals a day.
Schrader said that for the agency, the fire was unusual in at least two respects.
While the Red Cross responds to several fires a night, Schrader said, Saturday's was larger than most.
In addition, some of the volunteers at the scene had been involved with Hurricane Sandy relief and were planning on having the day off, he added.
"It's always sad to go to a fire scene," Schrader said. "People have lost their home. That's always a sad case."
A Yeadon Fire Company official said Saturday night that the cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Contact Jonathan Lai
|at 215-854-2771, jlai@philly.com, or on Twitter @elaijuh.
