Out of tragedies oftentimes come opportunities for heroism.

The patrons of Deano’s, 119 Main St., are more than that, they say. The patrons call themselves a community, and, true to the clich‚, the bar really is the type of place where everyone knows each other’s names.

More than that, bartender Jaime Kutcher said, the regulars to the establishment are a kind of “extended family.”

And now, when some members of that family have fallen on hard times, the others have stepped in to help.

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Deano’s will host a benefit for 10 occupants displaced by a fire on the 100 block of Fifth Street. They will host live music and charge $5 at the door to help alleviate the financial burden on the victims.

“I’m poor, but I wanted to help my friends out,” said the event’s organizer, Dennis Haislip. “We all live in a community, and basically, they had everything they have destroyed. The only way I can help is play a little music and try to rally the troops.”

The benefit, sponsored by Dawghouse Records, will feature Haislip, Kent Savley, Ty Shipley and the business’s owner, Monte Whetstone, all playing to raise money for the victims.

Officials said the fire started when Linda Dolph was talking on the telephone and attempted to light a cigarette, accidentally igniting a medical oxygen tank. Several other tanks in the apartment also ignited. Deputy Fire Chief Russ Scott, who interviewed Dolph after the incident, said the fire spread rapidly.

“She said that, at one point, it appeared that the whole apartment was on fire,” he said.

The Deano’s community has rallied behind the victims in other ways as well. Sitting at the bar where regulars Dave Larson and Mel Fisher — the two who brought Dolph to safety — sometimes sit is a collection’s jar for the victims.

Another patron has reportedly arranged for a storage unit to house donated furniture and clothing for the victims until they find permanent homes.

“I think it’s the most excellent thing I’ve ever seen,” said Tammy Nerness, a former resident of the building. “Friends come out of the woodwork when you really need them.”

Nerness was at Deano’s when the fire began. She remembers seeing a friend burst through the back door and call for help, and she, with other patrons, went back to the building to help. She remembers seeing the flames erupt from Dolph’s window, and watching an air conditioning unit fall, nearly hitting a firefighter.

Nerness has found a place for her and her roommate to live — the trailer of a friend who was moving. But the others haven’t been as lucky and are still working with the Red Cross to try and find affordable homes.

Ames fire officials said today that the fire had caused approximately $150,000 in damage to the structure. Investigations are still being conducted to determine whether the building can be saved.