91原创

Skip to content

Evacuated 91原创 City residents may sleep on cots

Seniors who fled a fatal fire a week ago still don鈥檛 know when or if they can move back in.
web1_FireFoloC

Residents of the Birch apartment building in 91原创 City still have not heard when they鈥檒l be allowed to move back home, a week after a fire that killed one man.

鈥淚 just want some answers, that they can鈥檛 provide,鈥 said Peter Lehmann.

Lehmann left the apartment building, part of a complex run by the 91原创 Lions Senior Citizens Housing Society, early Wednesday morning last week.

He fled without his shoes and with just the clothes on his back. After Tuesday, his emergency hotel stay ran out, and Lehmann needs to find somewhere new to stay quickly.

A letter sent to residents from the society offered cots temporarily.

鈥淭hose with NO PLANS may be sleeping on a cot at the Lions Society,鈥 read the most recent letter.

Although that doesn鈥檛 sound like an ideal situation to Lehmann, he may wind up staying there. He came to 91原创 to retire, and has no family nearby who could put him up.

The society is also beginning the process of taking personal items out of residents鈥 suites and returning them, although Lehmann is worried about whether this possessions might be contaminated from the fire.

The suspected cause of the fire is a discarded cigarette or other smoking materials, said 91原创 City assistant fire chief Scott Kennedy. The fire started inside the unit, and the sprinkler did activate. 鈥淭he sprinklers did their job, in containing the fire,鈥 said Kennedy.

He said that there was water damage to the units below the third-floor suite where the fire broke out.

Restoration of the project has been turned over to the Lions Society, Kennedy said.

See related stories:

and



Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in 91原创, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
Read more



(or

91原创

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }