EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — After three days of displacement because of an electrical fire, residents at the Terrace Tower Apartments in East Cleveland returned home temporarily Thursday.
About 90 people showed up to the complex throughout the day to collect their personal belongings, not knowing when, or if, they will be able to return permanently.
The building is still not safe to live in after Monday’s fire, which uprooted over 100 people.
“I had the same attire on since July 3,” says Maurice Hawkins, who has been staying with a friend. Hawkins says he’s not getting many answers from those who manage the apartment complex.
“They aren’t really giving me no good information,” Hawkins says. They (are) talking about this may take about 3 weeks for this to rectify, but hell, what about my rent money? I pay my rent just to be homeless?
Sabrina Ogrodnik has been living at Terrace Towers since mid-April. She says she is trying to keep herself from breaking down. The 26-year-old tells 3News she gave birth to her first child, a son, just days before the fire.
“I expected to be home with my baby, not somewhere else,” Ogrodnik shares. “I'm thankful for where I'm at, but I expected to be home taking care of my son.”
The Red Cross and Salvation Army are helping the people impacted.
For Melinda Fitzpatrick, a six-year resident of the apartment complex, she cannot wait to get the news that she can return to her apartment for good.
“There's no place like home and I miss home,” says Fitzpatrick. “But at least I can make it day by day as I can.”
3News reached out to the property management company, Retiree Housing MGMT, to get answers but did not receive a response.
Multiple residents are staying in a dorm on the campus of Case Western Reserve University after being transferred from the East Cleveland Salvation Army Corps Community Center on Wednesday.
