FRANKFORT – The community rallied Tuesday to provide comfort and assistance to a family that was left homeless by a deadly fire on Monday.

Ginger Pratt, a 24-year-old described as a special-needs person, was killed in the fire at the home of her legal guardians, John and Laura Drob on Route 1A.

Laura Drob suffered severe burns to her face, arms and hands and was being treated Tuesday at the burn unit of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Her condition was listed as serious.

Tony Fucillo, owner of the Family Country Market across the highway from the fire scene, said Tuesday that the store would act as a drop-off location for donations to a fund established to assist the family in its time of need.

“We’re calling it the John and Laura Fund because everybody in Frankfort calls everybody by their first name,” said Fucillo. “This was a real tragedy, and everybody in town wants to help.”

Fucillo said that residents, along with contributing to the fund, are considering holding fund-raising events and raffles in coming weeks.

The rapid-moving fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. Monday. The house was in flames by the time firefighters arrived at the 21/2-story wood-frame home in the village center.

People rushed to the home when they noticed smoke pouring from the windows. They reported hearing a woman screaming from an upstairs window and found the severely burned Laura Drob outside the burning building. John Drob was serving on jury duty in Belfast and had left home hours before the fire was reported.

Pratt was discovered in a second-floor storeroom after the fire was extinguished. She apparently was overcome by smoke. She was a relative of the Drobs’, and they had been her legal guardians since 1989.

Firefighters from six communities answered the alarm and extinguished the fire in about two hours.

Fucillo said donations for the John and Laura Fund may be mailed to Family Country Market, P.O. Box 159, Frankfort 04438. Call 223-4669 for additional information.