Crews Still Looking Into 5-Alarm Apt. Fire
By Holly Wagner, WCCO-TV and John Lauritsen, WCCO-TV
PLYMOUTH (WCCO) -- Crews are still looking into what may have caused a five-alarm fire to break out in a Plymouth apartment complex.
The fire happened late Monday afternoon. Hennepin County Dispatch received a report at 4:47 p.m. of an apartment fire at the Plymouth Oaks Apartments, which is located on 3301 Highway 169.
In all, 24 units in the complex were damaged by fire and smoke. It appeared on scene that the top floor of one wing was destroyed.
A number of residents don't have anything left after the fire consumed everything in their apartment.
"Everything. The only thing I saved are the clothes I'm wearing," said Evans Ribo.
He had just moved into his apartment on the third floor the day before, with his girlfriend and a cousin. They went back to their old place to grab a few more things and when they came back, Ribo said they weren't allowed to go to their apartment.
"Everything was on fire," he said.
They are all from Kenya and have been in the United States for three years. They say they were most upset about losing their passports and social security cards.
"It's awful we don't know what to do now. I can't take it," he said. "We have nothing. We lost everything."
One firefighter and two residents were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The fire chief said the firefighter who went to the hospital wasn't feeling well, but didn't elaborate. The chief said the hospital kept that firefighter overnight for observation. He has since been released.
The building had smoke detectors, but no sprinkler system, which Deputy Fire Chief Kip Springer says would have helped keep the fire from spreading in this case.
According to the Red Cross, management at Plymouth Oaks Apartments has helped all but one or two of the families relocate in the complex. The Red Cross is working with the remaining families on finding temporary housing.
Investigators from Hennepin County Fire and the State Fire Marshal's office will be back out there Tuesday.
This isn't the first fire at the apartment. On Feb. 9, 2008, the apartment had to be evacuated due to a fire. Also, on July 12, 2007, a fire gutted a large part of the third floor, which left dozens homeless.
Josh Emery and his cousin only lived at Plymouth Oaks for a month, but in a matter of hours, everything they owned was gone.
"We were shocked. My cousin's stuff is all gone now and it's a horrible thing. A lot of people besides us have lost out a lot on this," he said.
That includes family pets. Some are still missing, while others were able to be re-united with their owners after the fire.
"I went to look for the cat and it was sitting under the bed. So I had to pull it out and it was alive," said Jayden Fassett, a resident. "We were happy because we thought it was dead."
The Red Cross said while most of the people have been able to relocate, essential items are still needed.
"They have no food. They have no clothing," said Lynette Nyman, of the American Red Cross. "Winter clothing right now is so urgent."
