Note: This column is courtesy of Argus Observer Managing Editor Leslie Thompson. It first appeared in the Ontario, Ore., newspaper on April 3.

About 21 years ago, while living in Vale, Ore.., I was lying down with my son, who was about 1, trying to get him to sleep after my husband had nodded off on the couch watching a football game. After reading a story, I also started to nod off. Then, suddenly I saw a bright surge through my eyelids. I sat up and noticed all the lights were extremely bright before suddenly blinking out.

I walked to our front door to see if other neighbors were experiencing a power outage, but surrounding porch lights dimly lit the early evening sky. That’s when I caught a whiff of something I had never smelled before — and I will never forget the acrid smell that hit the back of my nose. Alarm bells went off in my mind. I looked around and, although it was dark, I thought I saw a wisp of smoke near the roof on the far corner of the house.

I jumped back inside and shook my husband awake, telling him I thought our house might be on fire. Even though I couldn’t see flames, my olfactory senses were suddenly as keen as Smokey Bear (remember, “He can find a fire before it starts to flame” by sniffing the air?).

Due to a head injury while bicycling years prior, my husband couldn’t smell the smoke, and by the time he got to the door, there was none visible. He questioned if I’d really seen smoke, but I insisted a disaster was pending, and phoned 911. I’m glad I did: an electrical fire had started to smolder in the attic. Fire crews quickly came to the rescue. We waited safely in a nearby ambulance watching the first-responders racing toward danger. They got the fire out, but had to punch a hole in the roof to do so. It caused smoke damage to our furniture and clothing, and the electricity would not come back on.

Our landlord tried to blame the fire on us, but several days later the state fire marshal pinpointed the cause. It was not us, but a miswired electrical circuit. But we didn’t have days to wait to find other shelter, as we were displaced in the middle of winter with our toddler. The house was uninhabitable and our landlord refused to return our deposit until later when the cause was pinpointed.

That’s when the Rev. Michael Bannon came to our aid. He had heard what happened and quickly got us connected to the Lion’s Club — which paid for my eyeglasses that had been broken while the fire was being extinguished. He also got us linked up with someone from the American Red Cross. The latter ended up being our biggest blessing. They helped us get into a hotel room where we stayed for about a week, while we were trying to find another place to live.

They gave us a debit card for groceries and personal hygiene items. They also helped us find an apartment and paid for the deposit, which eventually went back to them when we moved to a different place.

The American Red Cross of Idaho, Montana and East Oregon just opened an office in Ontario, Oregon, on March 1. It is the first time in history they have had a location here. They are looking for volunteers,especially for their Disaster Assistance Team, and I urge you to consider getting involved with this national organization in some way.

As someone who directly benefited from the Red Cross in a time of crisis, I want you to know it is a worthwhile cause. Whether you can donate time or money to the nonprofit, it may someday help your neighbors in their greatest time of need.

For more information, visit redcross.org.