Displaced residents still left with unanswered questions after fire at Second Avenue Commons
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There are still many unknowns for people staying in an emergency shelter after a Downtown shelter fire.
Many living in Second Avenue Commons are devastated because they don't know where they will go from here.
"We're just really, really worried and scared right now," said one individual who wanted to be identified as Reena.
Reena is one of 115 people and pets who spent the night at an emergency shelter in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The emergency shelter opened after an air conditioner fire Tuesday sent smoke into the air and Second Avenue Commons, forcing 180 people out onto the streets.
"I'm going to see what happens. I don't have any other choice, neither does anybody in there. A lot of people are in worse shape than me," said Reena.
In between hospital stays for health conditions, Reena has been living in the Uptown shelter since it opened about 18 months ago. That's where friends were made.
"You get a group of people together [and] they're living the same situation. A lot of these people are like me; they're not there for any fault of their own," Reena said.
Those friends have become family.
"It's like breaking up a family, and now they're telling us they're probably going to have to separate us into different faculties. Now, for me, that's a problem because almost none of them are wheelchair accessible, which means I have no idea where I'm going," Reena said.
Utilities have been turned off at Allegheny County's primary shelter for people experiencing homelessness. The utilities are shut off for safety reasons while fire damage is assessed and inspections are completed.
Allegheny County Human Services is working to find more permanent locations where people can stay. The emergency shelter will remain open for a couple of days.
Human Services is operating the emergency shelter at the convention center with help from Pittsburgh Emergency Management and disaster relief organizations.
"We're prioritizing getting people into the building for real, essential needs, like medication, identification, and those sorts of things. We'll make further updates in the coming days about the ways the public can support, and we appreciate people reaching out and offering that support," said Erin Dalton, Director of Allegheny County Human Services.
"The shelter staff itself, they did an absolutely amazing job organizing this, working with the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and all of them and the convention center, but building management, the ones that own the building, [I'm] not too happy with them right now. I've lost my stuff a few times. I got lucky, all my medications they were able to salvage, but I lost a lot of stuff," Reena said.
Some people have described maintenance concerns at Second Avenue Commons, like issues with front doors and AC units.
"And from what everyone is seeing, they're just not keeping up with maintenance. I'm not surprised this happened," Reena said.
What's most upsetting to those impacted is not knowing when the shelter will be back open.
Reena hopes everyone knows the people staying at the shelter are human and part of the Pittsburgh community.
"People don't think of us as a community, but we are," Reena said, holding back tears. I just don't know what's going to happen. All you can do is just go along with what they say and hope it works out," Reena said.
Other shelter providers have stepped up to help, and any locations with space for people to stay are asked to contact county human services.
KDKA-TV is expecting updates later this week when more permanent locations become available.
