Seven people are homeless after a fire destroyed an apartment building in Dundalk on Wednesday night.
Residents were back at the apartment on Thursday sifting through what is left of their stuff.
The fire broke out at the building on Main Street West around 6:45 p.m. There were four apartments in the building and home to seven people. Luckily no one was home at the time of the fire.
“At first I was freaking out and now I am just realizing everyone is okay and we have a lot of support here,” says Stephanie Lipsett.
Fire crews say the fire started in the first floor unit. That’s where Lipsett lives with her boyfriend and his two and a half year old daughter. They have another baby on the way and she says the support they’ve received from the community has been amazing.
“They’ve dropped off food and clothes…it’s been great.”
That help is much needed. Two of the four apartments are destroyed, no one can live in the building and while the building was insured, none of the residents had contents insurance.
“I really have nothing but a bin of clothes and what’s on my back,” says Willie Bryan
Bryan says when he finds his next apartment, he’s getting insurance.
“I should’ve gone with what the bank said and paid that $11, $12 and taken the pictures. Then I wouldn’t be in such a bad predicament.”
The fire chief says the fire is not considered suspicious and is awaiting the insurance company to come and assess the damage and determine if the building can be saved or if it will have to be torn down.
