One of the tenants of Perry Lake Village apartments says she has not slept all night. A lot of cleanup is in progress.
Emily Diepenbock has been in these apartments since August and tells us she lost everything in this fire. Diepenbock lived in a second floor apartment sharing a hallway with the unit where the fire appears to have started.
Diepenbock is working on her master's in accounting at Bowling Green State University. So, around midnight, she was up studying when she smelled smoke.
Diepenbock, her roommate, and 10 other families are being put up by the Red Cross in a hotel just across the street. She says managers have already offered her another apartment, but she has nothing to move into it.
As the fire raced through the complex, firefighters raced one step ahead of the flames, knocking on doors to wake up the residents and get them to safety in the nick of time.
Holly Brill says, "I just saw flames shooting out from the building."
Just after midnight, Holly Brill got a call that her parent's apartment complex was on fire. In a matter of moments, flames could be seen from miles away.
Assistant fire chief John Seiberth says, "We saw it coming down Route 20 from the station. Fire was shooting out of the roof and that's when we knew we needed more help."
Asleep in his apartment, Kevin Newcomer woke up just in time. He says, "The police department banged in the doors and smoke was already starting to fill up into the hallway, didn't seem that bad yet." But the flames spread quickly, making the blaze tough for crews to fight.
With a gaping hole in the roof, 8 units are unlivable. Sixteen others in nearby buildings have smoke damage. But for families, like Holly Brill, the most important thing is that everyone made it out alive.
"Once I saw her, she was still shaking and crying. It was nice to put my arms around her and know that her and the animals were safe 'cause that's the most important," says Brill.
People wanting to help the fire victims are urged to contact the Red Cross at www.redcrosstoledo.org or call 1-888-590-0098. Contributions may also be sent to the Greater Toledo Area Chapter of the American Red Cross at P. O. Box 595, Toledo, Ohio 43697.
