BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — The community is rallying around the family who lost a loved one in a fatal fire in the township on Tuesday morning.
Christine Toal, 56, died in the house fire in the 2700 block of Bellview Drive in Bensalem at 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Bucks County Coroner Patti Campi said.
Police said Toal was given life-saving efforts, but was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital for evaluation and treatment, police said.
A fundraiser was created by Marylynn Stack on behalf of Brittney Toal to help the family as it copes with the loss.
The GoFundMe page has raised over $7,900 of its $13,000 goal so far.
“As some of you may know by now, a beloved Nottingham family has been completely upended overnight,” Stack said. “Christine Toal passed suddenly in a house fire, leaving my best friend Brittney and her younger brother Joe to pick up the pieces. This devastating loss seems unfathomable, unfair, and gut-wrenching.”
Stack said the family lost their father, Joe Toal, in 2019.
“The fire not only took their beloved mother, but also destroyed their childhood home, leaving them without a place filled with memories and comfort,” Stack said. “Brittney and Joe are now facing the overwhelming task of arranging a funeral for their mother while also dealing with the loss of their home and everything inside it. With no life or home insurance in place, the emotional and financial burden is catastrophic.”
Stack said many residents may have attended Toal BBQs, “had a beer handed over to you by Christine’s hands at the Fox, a helping hand or shared laugh from Joe Sr., a hangout, a joke, rode your bikes with Brittney or Joe in the 90s.
“It’s our turn to show them that they are not alone. Even in this devastation, their community is here,” Stack said.
The funds raised through this campaign will go directly toward funeral arrangements and essential home expenses as they begin to recover and rebuild their lives.
“Any support you can offer — whether through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser — will mean the world to Brittney and Joe,” Stack said. “Your kindness will help them honor their mother’s memory and find hope in the midst of heartbreak.”