The makeshift two-story four-plex at 503 S.E. Davis St., heavily damaged by fire late Halloween night, once served as a chicken house, according to owner Delane Smith.

He said his grandparents, Ivan and Edna Booth, moved it from their homestead on Booth Bend Road to its current location with a Model A Ford.

"They nailed it together," Smith said. "That was the beginning.

"When they left the farm on Booth Bend Road, they parked it on Davis Street and lived in that chicken house. There was basically nothing around there. Davis was a gravel road."

Little by little, the Booths added on. They cobbled the structure together at a time when there were no building codes.

"They lived there until they passed away," Smith said. "They were in their 80s."

Then it was divided into four apartment units.

"My mother, she's 97 and lives across the street, she watched after the place for years," Smith said. "When she couldn't take care of it any longer, it became my responsibility."

Each of the structure's four units featured a kitchen, a bathroom and one or two bedrooms. Smith said hundreds of people had rented units there over the years.

The McMinnville Fire Department said 14 people were displaced by the fire. But Smith said he was only aware of eight people living there on a regular basis.

Many of the tenants were related, a combination of mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles and children, he said. Unfortunately, none of them carried renter's insurance.

The Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross has been assisting the occupants with clothing, food and shelter, but is not able to serve as a collection point for donations, according to spokesperson Lise Harwin, as it has no physical presence in the county.

First Baptist Church has been helping Lanita Marler and her two children, 10-year-old Bryce and 8-year-old Tony, as they attend services there. Office manager Donna Weed said the congregation is doing everything it can.

"All of their belongings are boxed up, and everything is ready to be moved," Weed said. "We have a truck to move things.

"They'll be stored in a member's garage. She is actively searching for an apartment."

Weed said another tenant stopped by the church seeking help as well. She was provided a laundry voucher, so she would at least have some clean clothing to wear, and allowed to take a shower.

"We do offer showers on Tuesday," Weed said. "That made a world of difference. It's amazing what a shower will do."

Fire Marshal Eric McMullen estimated damage to the structure at $250,000. He said Smith had it insured through Farmers, which had representatives out combing through the remains this week.