The fire next door

The apartment complex I live in suffered a horrible tragedy last night. Highland Hills apartment building G went up in flames early Sunday morning shortly before 2 am. Firefighters responded quickly to the call, but 70% of the building was already engulfed in flames by the time they arrived at 2. Squads from Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, and New Hope responded to the scene. They worked throughout the night trying to get the fire under control. Around 3:30 am, the fire was mostly out, but the entire structure was still smoking at 1 pm Sunday. The fire started in a unit on the right side of the building and very quickly progressed to the left side. A woman was found dead in her bed in the right hand first floor apartment. Two girls living in a second floor unit jumped to safety and suffered broken ankles from the land. Only 11 out of the 14 units were being leased, but the entire building is completely gone. There were several cars parked out front of the building, which have been destroyed as well. The bumpers and windshields melted and most hoods were charred to a crisp.

The fire investigators have not yet released cause of fire, but this event is raising many questions in the Highland Hills community. For instance, is there lead paint to worry about? How about asbestos in the insulation? Why did the fire spread so quickly? Do the fire alarms go off in all units if one is triggered? And COULD THIS HAPPEN TO US?

Matt and I woke up at 2 am to sirens that were only getting louder and louder. As I rolled over to go back to sleep, Matt said, "Do you smell smoke?" We walked outside only to see a tower of flames rising above the trees not 100 yards away.

The people from building G lost everything. I pray that they recover from this unimaginable loss. I pray that they were not already having financial problems. I pray that they had renters and health insurance (renters insurance is not required here, as it should be). I pray that their pets are safe. I pray that the injured girls recover. I pray that there are not lasting health problems from the smoke inhalation. I pray that my headache and weak-feeling chest is just a small hangover from the stress relief alcohol that we drank in lieu of sleeping last night, and not from inhaling the remains of someone's life and memories. I pray that what happened will be enough of an issue to get me out of my lease.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/721956.html