Following a fire Friday that left five University of Maine in Orono students without a home, the community has stepped up to provide emotional and financial support.

The students weren’t in the home when the fire broke out, and no one was hurt. One of the students, Olivia Shipsey, is from Bath. Her father, Mark Shipsey, advertising director at The Times Record, said he was shocked when he heard the news.

“It’s traumatic, you know?” said Mark Shipsey. “You don’t expect that call on a Friday afternoon, thinking you’re going to have a great weekend.”

Shipsey was able to see his daughter over the weekend in Orono and said she was doing well, all things considered.

“She was great. She was self-possessed and alert and aware and ready to take care of business, and I’m really proud of her for that,” said Mark Shipsey. “But no 20- year old should have to bear the responsibility for something like that.”

Even as the fire was ongoing, Shipsey said, the University of Maine sent a representative to meet with the students at the site, and offered housing and meal passes for a week. The Red Cross was also on site, and provided immediate financial help for the students.

While many things can be replaced, items of a personal nature may be lost forever. Of particular concern to his daughter, said Mark Shipsey, was a quilt she received over Christmas. It was still unclear Monday what, if anything, would be recoverable.

In the meantime, the community has stepped up to provide support for the students. A former professor set up a GoFundMe page, which as of Tuesday night had raised a little more than $3,000 for the students.

“These people that are struggling just like everybody else, they are finding a way to pitch in,” said Mark Shipsey. “And that means the world to all of us, particularly to Olivia.

“There are 30 people that I’ve never heard of just peeling off $20 bills,” he added. “That stirs me up to want to help (others).”

Locally, the Mustard Seed Bookstore in Bath has also stepped in to help raise money for the students.

Olivia is an employee of the bookstore, said owner Julia Shea, and her mother helped start it. In the aftermath of the fire, Shea started collecting donations of cash or gifts cards for Olivia. The response from the community has been swift.

“We have received numerous phone calls and Facebook messages saying people are more than happy to donate furniture, clothing, dishes, kitchen items, etc.,” said Shea. “We’re just holding off on receiving those until we know what they need and how quickly they will be moving into another place.

“It’s a big loving community here in Bath,” she added. “We’ve had people all day Saturday making donations and talking to us about it.”

“The local relationships that we’ve cultivated in the last five years have been very encouraging these last three or four days,” said Mark Shipsey.

nstrout@timesrecord.com