Dozens of Spokane apartment fire victims displaced before the holidays

SPOKANE, Wash. — A water line break and fire in one of the oldest buildings in downtown Spokane left 64 people not able to return home this week.

It was the second of two apartment fires within the city which led to unforeseen damages to the units that did not catch fire.

“I am in total shock because I never expected something this bad to happen,” said Hazel Monk, a disabled cancer survivor who lived in one of the buildings.

Monk is one of more than 70 people who have been displaced this week due to water damage that happened when firefighters tried to put out apartment fires.

“I can’t afford to pay for another place,” Monk said. “I’ve already pretty much spent all the money I have. I’ve got very little money left. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

More than 30 people displaced by the fires are currently staying at a Red Cross shelter set up inside All Saints Lutheran Church. Some of those people said these past hours have been incredibly stressful.

“There are a whole host of issues that cause discomfort and the fear and the sense of peril. That’s what I see in their lives. But then that’s why we’re here,” Fred Tribble, the case shelter site manager said.

Tribble said many at the site are in a state of confusion as they remain in limbo with questions that don’t yet have answers, like when they can return home.

“It’s that fear. That’s the beginning part of the disaster that I see, especially in these initial stages,” Tribble said.

For some, it’s the timing of this disaster that has them the most worried and the thought of not having a home to spend the holidays in.

“Right now, we don’t even know when we’re going to be able to move back in,” said displaced resident Briana Chesser. “People are looking at moving from shelter to shelter for days or weeks on end right before Christmas, right before New Year’s. People are looking at not having food for weeks.”

While the past 24 hours have been filled with anxiety for many, Monk still expressed hope and a sense of gratitude for her safety.

“We’re in a place. It’s warm. We’ve got food here. I thank God that everything turned out for the best,” she said.

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