Weeks After Whittier Place Condo Complex Fire, Residents Unable To Salvage Belongings As Demolition Looms
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - It's been almost two months since the Whittier Place Condominiums went up in flames and many of the former tenants still haven't been able to access their belongings.
On Sunday, about a dozen of the former residents showed up at a park near the complex to discuss the ongoing issues. Richard Light is one of them.
"The lack of information creates much more frustration than I think is necessary," Light said. "For a lot of us, this is our home, we have family photos, personal items, things from grandparents, great grandparents, that we have not been able to get our hands on and we don't know if or when we ever will."
The fire happened on Oct. 19. While no one was injured, at least three buildings were destroyed and dozens of other units damaged. While about 19 residents were able to get into the complex to get their items by paying an outside company, dozens said they aren't being allowed to return to the property. Light said some of the apartments are going to be demolished, with everything in them, including his.
"We don't understand why some of these units are inaccessible, and we have no report saying they're inaccessible, all we have is someone saying 'No,'" he said.
CBS4 contact the Boulder HOA which represents Whittier Place Condominiums, but they did not return CBS4 calls or emails. But the president of the HOA board did pick up the phone on Sunday and said, "I'm not interested in giving a comment or going on the record."
Some of the condos are owned by people different than the tenants, so it's unclear whether the HOA has been in contact with the individual owners directly, but Light said a lot of the owners are also being left out of the loop. He said they want to see a structural engineering report, or simply just get better communication from the HOA or the property management group. He and other tenants just hope to find a solution before it's too late.
"I think if the HOA board was here I would tell them to start becoming a little more forthright with the information they have," Light said. "Honestly it makes it seem like they're hiding something."
Light said any other former residents experiencing similar problems getting their belongings back, can contact the group at: whittiertenants@gmail.com.
